The International Fund for Ireland

The International Fund for Ireland is an organization created by the British and Irish government that aims to improve the economic and social conditions in Northern Ireland . Established in 1986 , the organization has been receiving funding from various donors . The United States government has been one of the organization 's major contributors The US government allocates a certain portion of its federal budget to support programs and activities organized or planned by the International Fund for Ireland . It has consistently provided funding that has been used for various projects of the group

p For the fiscal year 2008 , both House of Representatives and the Senate of the US Congress both agreed to include contributions to the International Fund for Ireland in the General Appropriations Act . Such fund is placed under the State and Foreign Operations Section of the annual federal budget that both houses of the US Congress ratified

In H . R 2764 , Page H6833 , the section on the US contributions to the International Fund for Ireland is fully stated and described as follows

For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance A ct of 1961 15 ,000 ,000 , which shall be available for the United States contribution to the International Fund for Ireland and shall be made available in accordance with the provisions of the Anglo-Irish Agreement Support Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-415 : Provided , That such amount shall be expended at the minimum rate necessary to make timely payment for projects and activities Provided further , That funds made available under this heading shall remain available until September 30 , 2009

No objections were raised with regards to the amount or to the provisions of such bill . Furthermore , no amendments were made and the said provisions were passed and approved without complications

Surprisingly , no member of Congress questioned the inclusion of such provision in the Appropriations Act specifically for State and Foreign Operations . Although there is indeed a precedence for the said spending project , current events and the current situation in Ireland seem to no longer merit the allocation of such funding . The primary argument that supports the said bill is the Anglo-Irish Agreement Support Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-415 . It is act law that provides justification to the continued contribution of the US government to the IFE

Representative Carolyn Maloney (D ) of the 14th district of New York was one of those who voted in favor of the Department of State , Foreign Operations , and Related Programs Appropriations for FY 2008 (H .R 2764 of which the section on contributions to the International Fund for Ireland is included . Congresswoman Maloney is a member of the Ad Hoc Congressional Committee for Irish Affairs . As such , her support for the said bill and her lack of objection to the provisions on the US government 's contributions to the IFE is expected

If I were a member of the US congress , I would raise an objection to the passage of the said act...