Blog Contributor:
Kim Zimmerman
Kim brings you the latest updates about what’s going on in the Senate. She previously worked in the government affairs offices of two US health care corporations. She spent eight years in the federal government primarily working for two Democratic senators. She received her B.A. from Drake University and MPP from Duke University.
Jan 26th, 2011 3:57 PM UTC
By Kim Zimmerman
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Last night’s State of the Union gave us the opportunity to hear from our president as he addressed the administration’s priorities for the upcoming year. While as expected, he focused on domestic concerns, we were pleased that President Obama reiterated America’s commitment to helping those in need around the world by stating, “Around the globe, we are standing with those who take responsibility, helping farmers grow more food; supporting doctors who care for the sick; and combating the corruption that can rot a society and rob people of opportunity.”
 Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
ONE has been working with this administration and Congress to do just what the president discussed. We have been advocating for the enactment of agriculture programs that will allow farmers to feed their families and communities. We have worked to create programs to provide health care and basic vaccines to those without it. And just last year, we were able to pass a new law to require companies in the extractives industry — like oil and gas — to list payments they make to foreign governments in an attempt to end the corruption in these governments.
We were also pleased that the president mentioned the United States’ support for the people of Tunis and Sudan — two countries that are experiencing upheavals in their governments. The administration’s strong support for these African nations sends a signal to their citizens and the rest of the world that the US is behind them.
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Jan 25th, 2011 7:00 PM UTC
By Kim Zimmerman
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Tonight, President Obama will be delivering his State of the Union address to the American people. The annual speech gives the president a chance to talk about the country’s biggest issues and outline the year’s political agenda with millions of Americans across the country.
In a video preview to his political supporters, President Obama said that he would also be focusing on innovation and competitiveness and touching upon national security and the budget deficit. A new twist this year is the decision by many Members of Congress to forgo sitting as a political party, and instead sitting with colleagues from across the aisle. Although the move for Republicans and Democrats is symbolic, the hope is that it will bring with it a sense of cooperation and bipartisanship. Tune in tonight at 9 p.m. to view the president’s address
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Dec 22nd, 2010 4:30 PM UTC
By Kim Zimmerman
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Yesterday, the Senate and House passed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government running at current levels until March 4, 2011. We are disappointed that our key priorities –- such as the Global fund, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), and agriculture programs — will continue to be funded at FY2010 levels instead of receiving the increases that the House and Senate Appropriations Committees had endorsed.
The new Congress that convenes in January will need to once again address the funding levels before the CR expires. Although it is unclear how they will proceed, it is possible that the funding levels will be simply extended until the end of the fiscal year. Congress could also decide to revisit the funding levels, and given the budget climate, even propose cuts to existing levels. At the same time, Congress will have begun working on the FY12 funding. The bottom line is that this limited three month CR is the worst-case scenario for us.
While we are disappointed in the final result, with your great help our work this year contributed to fairly good increases in all appropriations drafts until now. The final omnibus bill –- a grouping of all appropriations bills — developed by in the Senate was very positive. We would have received substantial increases in many of our priority programs. For example, as you will recall from our recent campaign, we advocated for $1.3 billion in funding for agriculture programs. The omnibus would have provided even more with $1.4 billion allocated. For GAVI, the omnibus proposed $105 million instead of the $78 million it received in the CR, and the Global Fund was funded at $1.05 billion instead of the $1.125 billion included in the omnibus. Unfortunately, the deal on the omnibus fell apart at the last minute and it was not brought to the floor for a vote.
As this congressional session concludes, we wish everyone happy holidays. We will continue to work with Congress when they return in 2011, and we will continue to advocate on behalf of the world’s poor.
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Dec 15th, 2010 5:10 PM UTC
By Kim Zimmerman
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Yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the United States-Rwanda Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) out of committee. This is the first BIT concluded between the United States and a sub-Saharan African country since 1998. This BIT was initiated by former President George W. Bush and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in 2008 and has been waiting for Senate action since then.
A BIT is a treaty of law between the US and another nation. This treaty will promote trade between the two countries by providing legal protections for both countries — including transparency in governance and neutral arbitration.
US investors are protected because both countries agree to conduct business using certain legal and investment principles. We at ONE are excited that this treaty will help to promote growth and foreign investment in Rwanda by showing that the US government has given Rwanda a “seal of approval.”
This treaty must now be approved by the full Senate. We are hoping that the Senate will ratify the treaty before adjourning for the holiday break.
Photo courtesy of Away2Africa.com
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Nov 23rd, 2010 1:46 PM UTC
By Kim Zimmerman
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A retired NBA athlete, the executive director of UNICEF, four members of Congress and ONE’s leadership and partner organizations all gathered at an all-star event on Capitol Hill last week.
Dikembe Mutombo, Measles Initiative spokesperson and NBA legend with Sheila Nix, ONE’s US Executive Director
ONE invited these leaders to talk about the importance and cost-effectiveness of vaccines at an informal briefing for congressional staff and supporters. ONE’s US Executive Director Sheila Nix kicked off the event by showing a video from our Living Proof campaign, which illustrated the impact of the rotavirus vaccine in Nicaragua. Rotavirus is the leading cause of diarrhea, a sickness that kills two million children a year worldwide.
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Nov 3rd, 2010 5:15 PM UTC
By Kim Zimmerman
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As you know, Election Day was yesterday, and we saw many changes in our government. We witnessed the House of Representatives change from Democratic to Republican control with a net win of 60 Republican seats.* The Congress also has a smaller Democratic majority in the Senate with Republican pick ups in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Arkansas and Pennsylvania. We are still waiting for the results of Senate races in Alaska, Colorado and Washington State. Regardless of the outcomes in those races, when Congress returns for the 112th Congress, the government will be divided by party.
ONE Vote 2010 organizers attended the victory parties last night, congratulating the senator elects and letting them know that we look forward to working with them on our issues in Washington. Because of the work that our members, volunteers and organizers did over the last four months on the campaign trail, ONE has created solid relationships with many incoming senators in the new Congress. We have always worked in a bipartisan manner, and the upcoming Congress will be no different. We welcome the new representatives and senators and look forward to working with them to make sure that the world’s poorest people have a voice in Congress.
*13 House races have not yet been called.
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Sep 30th, 2010 3:43 PM UTC
By Kim Zimmerman
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Congress passed a stopgap funding measure to keep the federal government running as Congress returned home before the midterm elections. This temporary measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), was needed to keep the government operating. Without this legislation, funding for the government would expire today, the end of the government’s fiscal year.
The CR for us means that global health, education, and agriculture programs will continue to be funded at the same level as the current fiscal year. We had been working with the Appropriations Committees in the House and Senate to increase funding for them for next year.
Congress will extend funding at current levels until December 3. They are scheduled to come back into session November 15 to debate and consider unfinished business such as these spending bills. When they return, ONE will continue to push our key priorities with Congress to make sure that our priorities receive the funding they deserve.
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