House defeats Heller bid to cut foreign aid

As the U.S. House worked into the wee hours overnight in its debate on spending and spending cuts in a budget bill for this year, Rep. Dean Heller at about 2:25 this morning took aim at foreign aid.

Heller, R-Nev., proposed to cut $211,244,700 from the State Department multilateral assistance account that funds programs like the World Bank International Development Association, UNICEF,  the African Development Fund, the Democracy Fund and the Strategic Climate Fund. The savings would go to reduce the debt, he said.

Heller said the cut amounted to 14.5 percent -- a number chosen to symbolize the unemployment rate in Nevada. He said Nevadans see foreign aid as a top candidate for budget cuts.

"It is not our responsibility to create jobs in foreign countries," Heller said. "Our job is to create jobs right here at home and I choose America first."

Two Democratic members of the House Appropriations foreign operations subcommittee who were still on the floor at the hour, Nita Lowey of New York and Adam Schiff of California, spoke against the amendment.

"I understand it is quite easy in a time of fiscal belt tightening to offer an amendment to reduce funding for international financial institutions, but voting in favor of this amendment has serious consequences for U.S. interests," Lowey said. Among other things, she said the Heller amendment was opposed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as businesses believe it could impact their ability to access developing markets overseas.

The House adjourned at 3:43 a.m. and returned at 9.a.m. Shortly thereafter it voted on amendments proposed overnight. 

The Heller amendment failed, 190-241.