Memorandum on Delegation of Authority Under Section 7019(e) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024

This memorandum delegates to the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development the authority under Section 7019(e) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024, to implement a comprehensive, multi-year strategy for promoting democracy abroad. Section 7019(e) of the appropriations law directs the executive branch to develop and implement this strategy, and this memorandum delegates the operational authority to carry it out to the relevant agencies.

The delegation affects the State Department and USAID directly, giving them the authority and responsibility to design and execute democracy promotion programs in countries where the U.S. seeks to support civil society, free elections, independent media, and rule of law. It indirectly affects the populations of the countries targeted by those programs, as well as partner organizations and governments.

This is a routine administrative delegation of congressionally mandated authority. Because Congress required the strategy in the appropriations act itself, the executive branch is obligated to implement it. The memorandum ensures that operational responsibility is clearly assigned to the appropriate agencies, which is standard practice for complex, multi-agency foreign assistance programs.

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