U.S. development professionals who have watched, with growing anxiety, a stalled federal budget lurch towards an uncertain finale are finally getting a better sense of what to expect in the new year.
The U.S. Congress will vote Friday on a spending bill, an “omnibus” budget agreement that allocates funding to government agencies and programs — including foreign aid. Most analysts expect the bill will find enough votes in both the House and Senate chambers to become law. To block the bill at this point would be to send the U.S. government careening towards a shutdown in the middle of the holiday season.
As with most appropriations bills in recent memory, aid watchers find in this omnibus package some things to celebrate and others to lament.
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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.
