Archives: Morning Breakouts

Due to Congress' proposals to cut spending for the State Department, the Obama administration is increasingly looking toward new funding mechanisms, referred to as blended funds, that pull from Defense Department budgets for activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, CQ reports. But that strategy could "undercut the Obama administration's efforts to create a more robust State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)" and "create significant congressional oversight challenges," the news service adds.

The U.S. continues to evaluate whether to resume food aid to North Korea amid reports of food shortages in the country, Agence France-Presse reports.

Amid growing concerns over the increasing number of people fleeing from escalating violence in Cote d'Ivoire, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) on Friday announced plans to boost food aid to tens of thousands of displaced people and the families hosting them in other countries, AlertNet reports (Fominyen, 3/12).

Politico reports that Republican presidential and congressional candidates may talk about the federal health law more than some Democrats - except, of course, when Democrats praise former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney for signing his home state's law.

A leading Senate Republican said Friday that the welfare reforms put in place during the 1990s, which gave states considerable flexibility, should be used as the model for the shape of a health law replacement plan.

Court says it will quickly consider federal judge's ruling that the overhaul is unconstitutional. But it says it has not yet decided if the initial review will be held before all 10 judges on the court.

Several Republican lawmakers said Thursday that the Obama administration should "deny North Korea's request for food aid" because of concerns that it would support Kim Jong-Il's regime, Agence France-Presse reports (Tandon, 3/10).

It "will not be possible" to meet the funding request for the State Department in President Barack Obama's FY12 budget proposal, Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), chair of the House State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee, said at a hearing on Thursday, CQ reports. However, Granger said there are still ways for the House and State Department to "maintain an effective and efficient diplomatic and development capability."

An independent panel of experts commissioned by the WHO to probe its response to the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic on Thursday released a draft report (.pdf) stating that while the organization performed well in many ways, it made "crucial mistakes" and "warned tens of millions could die if there is a severe flu outbreak in the future," the Associated Press reports (3/10).