On Friday, former Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe came to Northwestern University. The 8th Congressional District of Arizona’s former congressman spoke to Northwestern’s Political Union, a community of students interested in global affairs that hosts weekly informal debates. We were excited to bring the former congressman, a fellow Wildcat himself, to a lively discussion about American leadership in foreign aid and international development. Mr. Kolbe reminded us all why we should bother caring about the world’s poorest people even as we tend to our own fiscal house.
Mr. Kolbe speaks to members of Northwestern University’s Political Union
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With many in the global development community bracing for a bad outcome while the White House and House Republicans hammered out the details of a final budget package, the spending measure passed yesterday protected a number of poverty-focused programs from severe cuts. After the House had passed a budget in March that slashed humanitarian assistance and multilateral aid by more than 40 percent and essentially buried the administration’s signature food security program, Feed the Future, with a 30 percent cut to Development Assistance, restoring funding levels to current spending for many of these programs is welcome.
But for a few key anti-poverty accounts, the outcome is troubling and will have consequences for US efforts to promote stability and economic growth in a number of areas of the developing world.
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The Senate passed the 2011 US budget compromise by a margin of 81-19. This vote came just hours after the House passed it 260-167. We were very pleased to learn that this budget preserves nearly all key funding for programs fighting poverty in the developing world. Here’s a breakdown of how these programs fared in the FY11 budget:
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria– no cut, funded at $1.05 billion
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — no cut, funded at $4.6 billion
Feed the Future Initiative (agriculture) (bilateral) — no cut, funded at about $813 million
Feed the Future Initiative (agriculture) (multilateral) — received $100 million appropriation for the first time
Development Assistance — no cut, at FY10 level of $2.5 billion (contains ag, ed, microfinance, water, etc)
GAVI – hard to determine, but most likely to be flat at $78 million, perhaps better
World Bank IDA — no cut, at $1.235 billion
As you know, ONE has been advocating for months now to maintain the aforementioned key programs at current funding, delivering a petition of over 150,000 signatures, making over 16,000 calls to members of Congress, and arranging hundreds of in-district meetings.
We anticipate that the 2012 budget fight could be even more intense that this year’s, and there’s no doubt we’ll once again need ONE members to step up to the plate and advocate for these important programs that are saving millions of live in the developing world. Stay tuned to the ONE Blog for further analysis and breaking news.
Yesterday, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sent a letter to members of the House regarding the budget. Here’s an excerpt of their letter:
“The federal budget should protect human life and dignity, make the poor a top priority and promote the common good of all during tough economic times…
“A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons. It requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly.”
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On the eve of an ever more likely government shutdown, Raj Shah reminds us of the millions of people around the world who count on the support and assistance of the US government.
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Kevin Anderson, a lobbyist for the World Food Program, explains why he’s chosen to fast for the world’s poorest people.
I haven’t eaten anything since Tuesday night and I’m not planning to eat until Friday. I’m joining Ambassador Tony Hall, New York Times columnist Mark Bittman, nine Members of Congress and more than 36,000 Americans in a fast to draw attention to proposed budget cuts to vital programs for those who suffer from hunger abroad and here at home. Congress is debating a budget for the remainder of 2011 and sadly, global hunger programs are on the chopping block. World Food Program USA, for whom I work, and 40 other organizations have united in support of this fast.
After almost two days without food, I’m not feeling well. I normally consume more than 2,500 calories per day and it hasn’t taken long to start feeling the effects of going without food. My stomach has been growling, at times I’ve felt nauseas, and my energy level is low. Despite being exhausted, sleeping last night was surprisingly difficult on an empty stomach. But I know in my case, this discomfort will be over soon. Tomorrow I will eat once again and I will eat well.
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Evan Von Leer from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) shares some surprising facts and a myth-busting video on the US budget. Read the original post on EGPAF’s Foundation Blog.
U.S. Foreign Aid: Setting the Record Straight from EGPAF on Vimeo.
This week, the buzz in Washington, D.C. and around the country is all about the federal budget and the possibility of a government shutdown. Some members of Congress are calling for drastic cuts to foreign aid – as high as $800 million to HIV/AIDS programs worldwide.
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