Actions speak louder than words....

A congressional committee has cut the White House's request for more aid to poor countries next year by $500m (£305m) and reduced contributions to the World Bank to help pay for the remainder.

The decision comes as President George W. Bush, travelling in Africa, continues to stress the US administration's commitment to the developing world.

The House of Representatives' foreign operations appropriations subcommittee allocated $800m next year for the millennium challenge account, the US's flagship aid programme, compared with Mr Bush's request for $1.3bn.

It was more generous on HIV/Aids spending abroad, recommending marginally above the White House's request for $2bn. But it redirected money away from the US government programmes favoured by the administration and towards the Geneva-based Global Aids fund. [which, considering the White House's ideological bent, might be a good thing!]

The final decision on spending rests with the full appropriations committee, which meets next week, and negotiations between the House and Senate.

Jim Kolbe, Republican chairman of the committee, said the total spent on aid next year would be much higher than for this year. But Tom Hart of Data, an aid campaign, said the administration and Congress must share responsibility for breaking their promises.

There seems to be a lot of finger-pointing as to who's to blame, Congress or the White House, for the disparity. My guess is, they all are.

Complete story here.