In his final State of the Union address, President Bush put forward a number of programs funded by the International Affairs Budget front and center on his legislative agenda during his final year in office. In his address, President Bush stated, “America is leading the fight against global poverty, with strong education initiatives and humanitarian assistance.” He called on Congress to fully fund the Millennium Challenge Account, to support a new international food aid initiative that seeks to purchase crops from farmers in developing countries, and to double funding for global HIV/AIDS and malaria programs to $30 billion over the next 5 years.

On Monday, February 4, the President will formally submit his FY09 Budget request to Congress. The announcement of the budget formally kicks off the FY09 Budget process and will cause a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill.