GOP spending bill would nix international climate aid

GOP spending legislation for the State Department and foreign operations announced Tuesday would end U.S. contributions to multilateral funds designed to help poor nations battle climate change.

The fiscal year 2012 bill, which House Appropriations Committee lawmakers will begin considering Wednesday, eliminates funding for the Clean Technology Fund and the Strategic Climate Fund, rebuffing the White House request for a combined $590 million for the World Bank-led programs.

Current U.S. spending for the programs is $375 million.

The bill also bars U.S. funding for the United Nations’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which produces closely watched multiyear assessments of global warming.

Nor does it allow funding for the U.N.’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, the international forum for efforts to craft a global emissions treaty.

Overall, the bill provides $1.6 billion for multilateral assistance, a reduction of $729 million from last year and $2.1 billion less than the White House request, according to the committee.

“This includes significant cuts to many international organizations and programs, including the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, and several other international financial institutions,” a committee summary states.

The Appropriations subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs will mark up the bill Wednesday.

Overall, the bill’s $39.6 billion in funding is 18 percent below last year’s levels, according to the committee.

Full committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) defended the bill’s cuts in a prepared statement.

“This bill provides essential support to secure and stabilize some of the most critical areas of the world — including Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “However, we have to be extraordinarily careful when using precious American tax dollars around the world, and must protect against wasteful spending and prevent these funds from falling into the wrong hands.”