During consideration of the supplemental border appropriations bill (H.R. 3401), Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced an amendment to rescind all funding for the East-West Center and the Inter-American Foundation, and funding previously appropriated for global health programs within the fiscal 2019 State and Foreign Operations appropriations measure.
The East-West Center is an education and research organization established by Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. The Inter-American Foundation is an independent agency of the U.S. government that funds development projects undertaken by nongovernmental organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Rescinding funding for both these organizations would save over $40 million annually.
The Senate tabled (killed) Paul’s amendment on June 26, 2019 by a vote of 77 to 15 (Roll Call 183). We have assigned pluses to the nays because nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to fund such programs. These types of programs should be handled privately, not with U.S. taxpayers’ money. Although Paul’s amendment had little to do with U.S. border appropriations, his effort to eliminate this unconstitutional spending should be commended.
