Washington, DC —USGLC Executive Director Liz Schrayer released this statement today in support of the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2012:

“The USGLC commends the bipartisan leadership of Congressmen Ted Poe (R-TX) and Howard Berman (D-CA), and all of their cosponsors, for raising the bar to ensure our nation has accountable, transparent foreign assistance programs across all departments and agencies. As our military leaders have said, development is essential to our national interests, and we must ensure we not only have adequate resources but that our programs are effective, transparent and results-driven.

“The Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2012 builds on the solid principles modeled in the Millennium Challenge Corporation and USAID’s Foreign Assistance Dashboard. While world events call for greater use of our development and foreign assistance programs, the current economic environment requires a renewed commitment to accountability and transparency.

“From the Arab Awakening to the Horn of Africa, we are reminded of the need for American leadership in the world. Results-driven foreign assistance funded through the International Affairs Budget is a cost effective way to advance our national interests.”

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (www.usglc.org) is a broad-based influential network of 400 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic and community leaders in all 50 states who support a smart power approach of elevating development and diplomacy alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world.

###