Foreign Aid. The final version (conference report) of H.R. 2506 would appropriate $15.4 billion for foreign aid in fiscal 2002, $403 million more than fiscal 2001. This bill would provide about $3 billion in aid to Israel and about $2 billion to Egypt. Nearly $1 billion would be earmarked for the Export-Import Bank, and another $1 billion for the World Bank. Most of the remaining funds would be used for "bilateral economic assistance." Lawmakers left intact a ban on federal aid to international family planning organizations that perform or promote abortions; however, in a setback for conservatives, H.R. 2506 includes $34 million for the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, $9 million more than last year.
The House adopted the conference report on H.R. 2506 on December 19, 2001 by a vote of 357 to 66 (Roll Call 505). We have assigned pluses to the nays.
