Cuts cost lives. This is the message that InterAction, along with a coalition of members and partners, are sending to Congress as they decide how to fund U.S. foreign assistance programs during fiscal year (FY) 2012.
The Senate will reportedly begin considering FY2012 funding bills later this week, grouped together in an omnibus bill. The State, Foreign Operations account (bill S 1601), which includes foreign assistance, is expected to draw significant interest from lawmakers looking to make cuts.
Foreign assistance advocates are concerned, because any amendments that strip funding for development programs will affect the starting point for negotiations with the House, whose members already want lower numbers than the Senate is considering. Some programs rumored to be targeted include:
- development aid to Pakistan
- U.S. contributions to the United Nations and International Monetary Fund
- climate-change adaptation funding
We at InterAction have been raising our and our members voices in several ways to protest cuts to the foreign assistance budget:
- We are leading a social media campaign under the hashtag #cutscostlives.
- We have been crossposting blogs on the impact of foreign assistance.
- We published quotes on our website from American leaders on international issues in support of foreign assistance.
- We have been reaching out to Hill staff to advocate reasonable funding for the foreign assistance accounts.
Additionally, we will have a letter on our website later this week for anyone to download and send to their senator or representative.
For more information on the FY2012 bill going to the Senate floor this week, see the full article in CQ.
