This is a free version of Devex Pro Insider from Senior Reporter Michael Igoe. Usually reserved for Pro members, we’re opening it up to all readers this week as a preview of what you’re missing. Over the next few months, this special Saturday newsletter will tackle some of the biggest questions about the future of U.S. foreign aid. Not yet a Devex Pro member? Get full access to all exclusive newsletters, insider insights, events, and expert analysis with a 15-day free trial of Devex Pro.
It used to be that covering the U.S. foreign aid budget process was one of those things our news team could plan for months in advance — even a source of some reliable structure in an otherwise unpredictable information environment.
We’d start with the president’s budget request sometime in early spring, then congressional budget hearings with their predictable blend of decorum and scripted indignation, then House and Senate appropriations bills that mostly ignored the White House’s whims, often followed by the threat of an impasse — maybe even a government shutdown — before finally, usually, some begrudging agreement to keep everything pretty much the same as it was before.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
