PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE November 9, 2012 WASHINGTON UPDATE Election Update With this weeks election, there are

some changes ahead in Congress surrounding international development and humanitarian assistance issues. In particular, Rep. Ileana Ros Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) will have to step down as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee at the end of this Committee year. Reps. Ed Royce (R-CA) and Chris Smith (R NJ) are vying to replace her, with Rep. Steve CA) (R-NJ) Chabot (R-OH) running a distant third. All of the candidates have demonstrated interest in and OH) support for our issues and are unlikely to oppose funding for the Palestinians in the way Rep. Ros-Lehtinen has. On the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Nita Lowey (D NY), currently Ranking (D-NY), Democrat on the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, may become Ranking Democrat of the full committee, now that Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA) is retiring. e, There will be other shakeups as well. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Rep. Howard Berman (DIN) (D CA), two of the most outspoken champions of international development, have lost their re reelection bids. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is expected to take Sen. Lugars place at the top of the Senate TN) Foreign Relations Committee Republicans. He is considered by many to be a pragmatist but has supported our issues more than many other Republicans in the Senate. It is too soon to predict exactly how he will lead the committee but there is potential for us to build n a strong relationship with him. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) could likely replace Rep. Berman atop the House Foreign Affairs NY) Committee Democrats. He has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and has not focused outspoken a great deal of attention on foreign assistance issues. It is too soon to predict exactly how he will lead the committee but there is potential for us to build a strong relationship with him as well. There are also some changes coming on the administration side. Secretary of State Clinton has so made clear her intention to step down at the end of President Obamas first term in office. There are two candidates rumored to be in the running to take her place. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), who has a long history of diplomatic experience but has not focused , a great deal of his attention on development or humanitarian issues. Ambassador Susan Rice, currently U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has a great deal of experience in issues of foreign aid, having served as President Clintons Director for International Organizations and Peacekeeping and as Senior Director for Afric Affairs. African o Her candidacy may have been harmed in recent weeks by the September 2012 incident in Benghazi, Libya, in which a U.S. consulate was attacked and four U.S. officials were murdered, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens. Five days after the attack, Rice appeared on five different Sunday political talk shows to reiterate a now disproven Obama Administration position that the attacks now-disproven were a "spontaneous reaction" to "a hateful and offensive video that was widely disseminated throughout the Arab and Muslim world." It is now known that the attacks ted were not connected to the videos and Rices statements may hurt her candidacy. 1

InterActions entire memo on the election can be found here. Lame Duck Session With the elections now over, the lame duck session of Congress will begin Tuesday, November 13, lasting until December, and possibly until Christmas. Leadership elections are expected this coming week for Republicans in both the House and Senate, as well as for Senate Democrats; not much change is expected in any of those elections. House Democrats have delayed their leadership elections, however, and there is a strong possibility that longtime Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) could step down. As of publication time, the House plans to take up trade and human rights legislation with Russia next week, while the Senate is expected to take up a number of domestic issues. In both chambers, lawmakers and staff are reportedly working behind the scenes preparing legislation to avert the fiscal cliff of simultaneous tax increases and sharp spending cuts, and reach a compromise deal that could include entitlement reforms and changes in the tax code. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) has said that she plans to prioritize the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act of 2012 (H.R. 3159), introduced by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), during the lame duck session. There has not yet been an announcement from her office regarding timing for consideration of the bill. The Senate version of this bill, introduced by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September. Appropriations Update As Congress comes back for the lame duck session, appropriators are preparing for a possible conference on FY2013 appropriations. InterAction and our members have responded to this by sending a sign-on letter with 78 member signatories to appropriations members. This letter urges them to support the Senate funding levels for the International Affairs Budget. The entire letter can be found here. UPCOMING HEARINGS Hearing: Benghazi and Beyond: What Went Wrong on September 11, 2012 and How to Prevent it from Happening at other Frontline Posts Committee: House Foreign Affairs Committee Witnesses: Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Department of State (invited) William Young, RAND Corporation When: Thursday, November 15, 2012 10:00 a.m. Where: 2172 Rayburn HOB