Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations
Funding for nine of the Fiscal Year 2009 appropriations bills had been extended temporarily to March 6, 2009 and needed to be funded for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2009 (through September 30). The 111th Congress passed these nine bills as part of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (H.R. 1105). On March 11, the president signed H.R. 1105 into law. UNFPA Funding For Fiscal Year 2009, $50 million dollars was appropriated for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a 25% increase over the $40 million appropriated for Fiscal Year 2008. The Kemp-Kasten Amendment law provides that no funds “may be made available to any organization or program which, as determined by the President of the United States, supports or participates in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.” This policy gives the president the authority to deny U.S. funding to the UNFPA because of its continued support of China’s coercive population control program. H.R. 1105 retained the Kemp-Kasten Amendment but exempted the UNFPA from the policy’s reach. House: Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) was not allowed to offer an amendment that would both apply the Kemp-Kasten Amendment to the UNFPA and restore the Mexico City Policy. On February 25, the House passed H.R. 1105. Senate: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) offered an amendment that would apply the Kemp-Kasten Amendment to the UNFPA. On March 5, the Senate rejected the Wicker amendment, 39-yes, 55-no, 5-not voting. On March 24, the U.S Department of State issued a press release stating it intended to contribute $50 million to UNFPA in Fiscal Year 2009. During a March 24 confirmation hearing for Ambassador-at-Large for Women’s Global Issues, Melanne Verveer stated that the Secretary of State had made a determination the UNFPA does not violate the Kemp-Kasten Amendment. | 
