SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.

SEC. 3209. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. (a) Findings.—Congress finds that— (1) the international community faces a continuing epidemic of ethnic, sectarian, and criminal violence; (2) poverty, hunger, political uncertainty, and social instability are the principal causes of violence and conflict around the world; (3) broad-based, equitable economic growth and agriculture development facilitates political stability, food security, democracy, and the rule of law; (4) democratic governments are more likely to advocate and observe international laws, protect civil and human rights, pursue free market economies, and avoid external conflicts; (5) the United States Agency for International Development has provided critical democracy and governance assistance to a majority of the nations that successfully made the transition to democratic governments during the past 2 decades; (6) 43 of the top 50 consumer nations of American agricultural products were once United States foreign aid recipients; (7) in the past 50 years, infant child death rates in the developing world have been reduced by 50 percent, and health conditions around the world have improved more during this period than in any other period; (8) the United States Agency for International Development child survival programs have significantly contributed to a 10 percent reduction in infant mortality rates worldwide in just the past 8 years; (9) in providing assistance by the United States and other donors in better seeds and teaching more efficient agricultural techniques over the past 2 decades have helped make it possible to feed an additional 1,000,000,000 people in the world; (10) despite this progress, approximately 1,200,000,000 people, one-quarter of the world's population, live on less that $1 per day, and approximately 3,000,000,000 people live on only $2 per day; (11) 95 percent of new births occur in developing countries, including the world's poorest countries; and (12) only ½ percent of the Federal budget is dedicated to international economic and humanitarian assistance. (b) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that— (1) United States foreign assistance programs should play an increased role in the global fight against terrorism to complement the national security objectives of the United States; (2) the United States should lead coordinated international efforts to provide increased financial assistance to countries with impoverished and disadvantaged populations that are the breeding grounds for terrorism; and (3) the United States Agency for International Development and the Department of Agriculture should substantially increase humanitarian, economic development, and agricultural assistance to foster international peace and stability and the promotion of human rights.