The Bush administration wants to reform foreign aid. These programmes sorely need better coordination and predictability. There are worrisome signs that the administration is planning deep cuts in anti-poverty spending as aid is supposedly reoriented to promote democracy and fight terrorism.

An Agency for International Development statement posted on its website says the goal is to “focus all United States foreign assistance on helping to build and sustain democratic and well-governed states.” Of the nearly $24 billion requested by the State Department for foreign aid this year, a little over $1billion is devoted to democracy programmes. Officials say that number is likely to rise substantially in next year’s budget request, while the roughly $3.7 billion devoted to anti-poverty programmes is likely to fall to make up the difference.

Promoting democracy is a laudable goal. But such work needs to come on top of financing anti-poverty programmes, which save hundreds of thousands of lives.

There is also little indication that America knows how to build democracy. This is no time to cut off the world’s poor, especially for programmes with such an uncertain record. If the administration will not restore a sensible balance to foreign aid, the new Congress should.