Mark Murray specializes in appropriations issues with a concentration on international affairs, and defense. He served for a combined 26 years as professional staff on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and has extensive knowledge of the appropriations process, especially the area of law governing foreign assistance, defense, and military construction. government agencies. He has served as both majority and minority staff and has developed strong working relationships with members and staff of both the House and Senate. Mr. Murray has extensive experience in preparing and drafting numerous appropriations bills and reports dealing with a wide range of issues regarding national security. He is also experienced in military basing issues involving force projection, the privatization of family housing, and the base closure process. Mr. Murray served as professional staff on the House Appropriations Foreign Operations; Military Construction; Commerce, Justice and State; Energy and Water; and the Legislative Branch subcommittees. He also served as professional staff on the Senate Appropriations Committee and budget analyst with the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Murray has also traveled extensively throughout the world interacting with foreign and U.S. government officials to develop the Congressional response to emerging crisis situations, as well as to evaluate economic and security assistance programs. He played an integral role in devising Congressional responses to the transitions in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, numerous humanitarian disasters, the HIV/AIDS crisis, conflicts in Central America, and, most recently, the reconstruction programs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Murray also was a primary staffer for crisis response plans for Bosnia, Kosovo, the implementation of Plan Colombia. He helped set the legislative framework for contracting for reconstruction programs in Iraq and Afghanistan and the establishment of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.