Revamping U.S. Foreign Assistance

Although many of its overall conclusions are sound, the December 2007 final Report of the HELP Commission comes up short on a number of issues. The official Report fails to adequately make the case for foreign assistance as a core pillar of U.S. national security and values. The authors, members of the Commission and authors of its Minority Report entitled Revamping U.S. Foreign Assistance, recommend that foreign assistance be repositioned within the U.S. Government structure and elevated to its own cabinet-level department. Moreover, Washington needs to be honest with itself, its international partners, and the American public about the insufficient funding devoted to foreign aid.