CRS received over $928 million in funding from government grants in 2022, making up a large proportion of the organization’s total revenue of more than $1.4 billion, according to tax documents. CRS says it currently provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries without regard to race, religion, or nationality.
According to the House Appropriations Committee, the 2025 bill, which the U.S. House of Representatives approved last month, includes $3.3 billion in funding for Israel and prioritizes border security and measures to combat China’s influence. It also maintains “all long-standing pro-life protections” and supports “religious freedom programs abroad and religious freedom protections for faith-based organizations delivering foreign aid.”
At the same time, the budget eliminates funding for several programs entirely, including the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund and Contributions to the Inter-American Development Ban.
The appropriations bill also deprioritizes many climate-focused initiatives by prohibiting funds for the Green Climate Fund and Clean Technology Fund. All told, the proposed budget represents a 19% reduction from the president’s budget.
O’Keefe noted that the bill retains “strong funding levels” for “a select few” humanitarian priorities, such as addressing nutrition needs and combating malaria. However, the bill “fails to invest in climate adaptation,” despite the “moral, economic, and security benefits of enhancing resilience to severe weather shocks like droughts, flooding, and extreme heat waves.”
As recently as 2021, CRS praised the Biden administration’s proposed budget for its focus on fighting poverty worldwide. That 2022 request included $1 billion in U.S. foreign assistance for fighting infectious diseases around the globe as well as $2.5 billion for international climate programs.
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