	U.S. Participation in the MDBs

The United States is a member of five multilateral development banks (MDBs): the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), Asian Development Bank (AsDB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). It also belongs to two similar organizations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the North American Development Bank (NADBank). The World Bank also administers trust funds, focused on particular global issues such as food security and the environment. Except for the EBRD, which makes only market-based loans, all the MDBs make both market-based loans to middle-income developing countries and concessional loans to the poorest countries. The MDBs also have specialized facilities which have their own operating staff and management but report to the bank's president and executive board. The NADBank was created by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to fund environmental infrastructure projects in the U.S.-Mexico border region. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), created in 1977, focuses on reducing poverty and hunger in poor countries through agricultural development. Finally, the World Bank also serves as the trustee for several targeted multilateral development funds, for which the Administration has requested and Congress has appropriated funds. These multilateral funds include the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP). U.S. Appropriations for MDBs

 Figure 1 , Figure 2 , and Tables 1-4 show the amounts the Administration has requested and Congress has appropriated annually since FY2000 to the multilateral development banks. The uptick was driven largely by capital increases for the nonconcessional lending facilities at the MDBs in response to the global financial crisis, as well as the proliferation of trust funds administered by the World Bank focused on specific policy issues. President Trump campaigned on an "America First" platform and has signaled a reorientation of U.S. foreign policy. For FY2019, the Trump Administration requested $1.42 billion for the MDBs, a 16% cut from the amount appropriated in FY2017. The bulk of the request—$1.32 billion, about 90%—would fund U.S. commitments to concessional lending facilities at the MDBs, particularly IDA.
This report shows in tabular form how much the Administration requested and how much Congress appropriated for U.S. payments to the multilateral development banks (MDBs) since 2000.
Multilateral development banks provide financial assistance to developing countries in order to promote economic and social development. The United States belongs to several multilateral development banks, including the World Bank and four regional development banks (the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development). It also belongs to the North American Development Bank, which is a binational (U.S.-Mexico) development bank; the International Fund for Agricultural Development, which focuses on poverty and hunger in developing countries; and several trust funds administered by the World Bank, which focus on specific global issues, such as food security and the environment.
The United States appropriates funding on an annual basis to various multilateral development banks and related funds. In FY2018, U.S. appropriations for MDB programs totaled $1.5 billion. Most of the FY2018 funding (about 90%) went to the concessional lending facilities at the MDBs, which provide grants and low-cost loans to the world's poorest countries. Congress also provided funding for the African Development Bank, IFAD, and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), administered by the World Bank.
The Treasury Department manages U.S. participation in the MDBs, and the Administration's request is submitted as part of Treasury International Programs. For FY2019, the Administration has requested $1.4 billion for the MDBs and related funds. Most of the funding would go to the concessional lending facilities at the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. It would also provide funding for the African Development Bank. The Administration has proposed cutting U.S. contributions to IFAD and reducing U.S. contributions to the GEF.
For further information about the MDBs and relevant U.S. policy process, see the following CRS reports:
CRS Report R41170, Multilateral Development Banks: Overview and Issues for Congress, by [author name scrubbed]; CRS Report R41537, Multilateral Development Banks: How the United States Makes and Implements Policy, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]; CRS In Focus IF10144, The Global Environment Facility (GEF), by [author name scrubbed]; and
CRS Report R44890, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2018 Budget and Appropriations, by [author name scrubbed], [author name scrubbed], and [author name scrubbed]