Don't Zero Out the Complex Crises Fund in FY2011

Mar 16, 2011

PDF Version

February 14, 2011

TO: Members of the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee

Dear Representative,

We write to express our deep concern over proposed cuts in the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution bill to programs that save both lives and treasure by helping prevent and mitigate international crises. Specifically, we urge you to reject the proposed termination of the Complex Crises Fund (CCF) and to restore the account to its previously approved $50 million level for the rest of FY 2011. This represents a small investment (half the administration’s request for 2011) to help avert costly humanitarian crises and military interventions.

Along with many draconian cuts to the U.S. government’s civilian capacities to help advance peace and prevent violent conflict, the FY11 C.R. calls for the elimination of all funding for the Complex Crises Fund for the remainder of FY2011, down from just $50 million enacted in FY10. This small fund has been used to help mitigate violence in critical places like Kenya and Kyrgyzstan. The CCF is a crucial source of unprogrammed, flexible funding for civilian agencies, without which the State Department and USAID are unable to act quickly when conflicts escalate or to undertake rapid stabilization, prevention, and crisis response activities.

U.S. civilian foreign policy agencies have struggled to adequately undertake such activities due to years of chronic underfunding and a lack of flexible resources, and inevitably the Department of Defense has been left to fill this gap. Previously, the Defense Department undertook its own crisis response activities or transferred funding to civilian agencies under the temporary Section 1207 authority granted by Congress since 2006. Appropriators allowed Section 1207 authority to expire at the end of FY 2010, with the CCF replacing it.

As the attached letter with 30 national organization signatories indicates, there is broad bipartisan support for the Complex Crises Fund. The HELP Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, and Albright-Cohen Genocide Prevention Task Force have all called for such a fund for civilian agencies. Secretary of Defense Gates himself has advocated for increasing civilian capacities to help prevent crises and avoid military interventions.

By refusing to fund the CCF, the House proposal ensures that the U.S. will have to spend much more to respond to crises after they erupt, rather than investing a much smaller amount to prevent violent conflicts before they begin. We believe your subcommittee can retain the CCF and more effectively reduce the international affairs budget by scaling back on excessive military aid programs, which often undermine rather than advance global peace and security. If anything, the House should redirect cuts across the budget towards out-of-control Pentagon spending, which is set to receive an increase in funding for FY2011 while all other programs face drastic cuts. We urge you to reject the proposed termination of the Complex Crises Fund in the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution Extension bill and instead continue this small but critical program at a modest $50 million.

Sincerely,

Bridget Moix

Legislative Secretary

Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict