John Kerry: “I rise today along with my colleagues from Florida and Maryland, Senator Rubio and Senator Cardin, to introduce the…”

“I rise today along with my colleagues from Florida and Maryland, Senator Rubio and Senator Cardin, to introduce the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review Act of 2012. This legislation demonstrates Congress's commitment to strengthening the accountability and effectiveness of our foreign aid programs. With the United States facing critical foreign policy and development priorities worldwide, it is vital that we update our foreign aid programs to reflect the new challenges of the 21st century. The first-ever quadrennial review on diplomacy and development provided an important roadmap for increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of our diplomatic and development agencies. I applaud Secretary Clinton for her leadership in bringing this valuable planning tool to the State Department. The purpose of our bill is straightforward: In keeping with the practice of undertaking quadrennial reviews by various departments, including the Department of Defense, it creates the statutory basis for conducting periodically scheduled reviews to guide the mission of the State Department and USAID. The Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review Act will strengthen our diplomacy and development efforts in several key ways. Let me cite just a few specifically: First, this bill clarifies the measures by which we assess and evaluate our diplomacy and development efforts.…”