December 13, 2018 (WASHINGTON) – This statement is delivered on behalf of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) by Co-Chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin.
The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network thanks eight congressional leaders and joins them in calling on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney to report on implementation of the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2016 (FATAA; PL 114-191).
Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Ted Poe (R-TX), Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA) and Ted Yoho (R-FL), and Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), sent a letter to Mulvaney requesting a report on the status of key transparency and accountability provisions included in FATAA.
Specifically, the members of Congress requested a list of agencies that have not established evaluation policies for their foreign assistance programs, a list of agencies that have not published comprehensive data, and a full report on the efforts to consolidate two contradictory aid databases, all of which is required by the legislation.
“Rigorous and consistent monitoring and evaluation of programs, as well as comprehensive, timely aid data are standards that the American people and our partner countries deserve from our foreign assistance programs,” said Lester Munson, MFAN Co-Chair and Principal at BGR Group. “MFAN thanks these congressional leaders for their continuous engagement and oversight of foreign aid transparency and accountability.”
“We must ensure that FATAA is being properly implemented in order to maximize the impact of U.S. foreign aid,” said George Ingram, MFAN Co-Chair and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. “Evaluation policies, high-quality data, and access to U.S. aid information will enable U.S. assistance to be more accountable and effective.”
“The Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act, when fully implemented, will ensure our scarce foreign assistance dollars are used efficiently and effectively,” said Tessie San Martin, MFAN Co-Chair and President & CEO of Plan International USA. “We support the call for OMB to provide information on the progress and status of FATAA implementation.”
MFAN thanks these congressional leaders and urges OMB to provide Congress and the public with the necessary information to ensure compliance with FATAA-mandated standards of transparency and accountability.
