In a show of bipartisan support, five former secretaries of state sent a letter to Congress urging that the International Affairs Budget not shoulder the disproportionate weight of spending cuts in the FY2012 budget.
The letter, from former Secretaries Madeleine K. Albright, Henry A. Kissinger, Colin L. Powell, Condoleezza Rice and George P. Shultz, went to members of Congress yesterday and closed with a call to action:
“Now is not the time for America to retreat from the world, which is why we need a strong and effective International Affairs Budget. This is one area where leaders of both parties can find common ground and come together to ensure a better, safer world and a more prosperous future.”
According to analysis by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), the International Affairs Budget accounted for nearly 20 percent of the total discretionary spending cuts in FY2011, despite being only 1.4 percent of the federal budget.
Read the full letter on USGLC’s website. To write a letter to your lawmakers in support of foreign assistance, see the "Contact your congressperson" box on our webpage with U.S. leaders' views on foreign assistance.
