WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today took a concrete step towards making U.S. foreign assistance more effective by passing the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 (S.1524).

The committee's passage of the bill this afternoon follows last week's nomination of Dr. Raj Shah as administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). According to Rev. David Beckmann, president, Bread for the World, the bill will make important changes that would give the new administrator the necessary tools to lead U.S. development efforts.

"Senator John Kerry and Senator Richard Lugar made a strong statement today about Congress' commitment to elevating development as a core pillar of U.S. foreign policy - distinct from diplomacy and defense," said Rev. Beckmann.

"We hope that the rest of the Senate follows the committee's lead and approves the bill, and sends it to President Obama's desk for his signature without delay," added Rev. Beckmann. "We urge leaders in the Obama administration to work closely with both the Senate and the House of Representatives on these reform efforts."

S.1524 would establish the promotion of global development, good governance, and the reduction of poverty and hunger as U.S. policy; rebuild the policy, strategic planning, and human resources capacity at USAID; and create an independent Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign Assistance (CORE) to evaluate the impact of all U.S.foreign aid programs.

Bread for the World (www.bread.org) is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

SOURCE Bread for the World

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