A week after Congress approved a White House request to scrap roughly $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting there is yet no answer forthcoming as to whether money in that rescissions bill destined for the International Fund for Ireland is still available, or has been consigned to the political garbage bin.
The bulk of the funds targeted — about $8 billion — was for foreign assistance programs. The remaining $1.1 billion was for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which finances NPR and PBS, the New York Times reported after the Capitol Hill vote.
Efforts by the Echo to find an answer with specific regard to IFI funding have been directed at several offices of Capitol Hill legislators. None have been able to provide an answer, though they say they are actively seeking one.
Also searching is the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog which tracks the nation's spending of nickels, dimes and billions on behalf of the nation's citizens.
The New York Times was reporting Thursday that the GAO has opened "dozens of investigations" to determine if President Trump and his top aides have illegally withheld billions of dollars in Congress- approved funds.
U.S. funding for the IFI is congressionally approved, its chief booster in recent years being Philadelphia Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle.
The New York Times report pointed to unnamed Republican lawmakers working alongside the White House to "stymie" the GAO's inquiries, this in a move that could help President Trump seize more control over the nation's budget.
Those inquires, according to the Times report, "concern the White House's handling of foreign aid, such as money for Ukraine..."
And the IFI?
The rescissions bill was approved by the House of Representatives by 216 votes to 213. The Senate had previously approved passage by 51-48. Two Senate Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted no, taking the position that their party was ceding Congress’s constitutional control over federal funding.
In the House vote two Republican representatives voted against the bill. They were Representatives Michael Turner of Ohio and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.
Congressman Fitzpatrick, like Congressman Boyle, represents a Pennsylvania House seat. He takes a strong interest in Ireland and works closely with Democratic colleagues who also work on Irish-related issues.
Prior to his negative vote on the rescissions bill Rep. Fitzpatrick, who is rated as one of the most bipartisan legislators in the House, had also voted no to President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" budget measure. In that vote, Fitzpatrick cited his concerns over several provisions in the Senate version of the bill, most especially over cuts to Medicaid.
With regard to Ireland in the broader sense Rep. Fitzpatrick has pushed for Saint Patrick's Day to be made a federal holiday and has joined fellow members of the Friends of Ireland in Congress, from both parties, to propose the establishing of a commission to study the creation of a National Museum of Irish American History.
At an event in Washington last year honoring the work of the Washington Ireland Program Fitzpatrick stated: "This morning, I had the opportunity to join my friends in the Washington Ireland Program as we commemorate a century of diplomatic relations between Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the United States.
"As a proud Hibernian, member of the Friends of Ireland Caucus, champion for the International Fund for Ireland, and advocate for the preservation of peace in Northern Ireland I know that the bonds between our nations - rooted in shared history, values, and a steadfast commitment to democracy - are more vital than ever.
More vital indeed. But certainly weakened if U.S. aid for the IFI is no more.
