August 19, 2011

www.interaction.org

Contacts: Sue Pleming: 1 202.552.6561 or 1 202.341.3814 (Cell) or spleming@interaction.org Tawana Jacobs: 1 202.552.6534 or 1 202.297.1696 (Cell) or tjacobs@interaction.org

DEAR CONGRESS: Use World Humanitarian Day to back foreign aid

WASHINGTONThe NGO alliance InterAction urges lawmakers to mark this years World Humanitarian Day, which honors aid workers who help millions worldwide by providing lifesaving assistance and long term rehabilitation to disaster-affected communities, by publicly showing support for U.S. foreign assistance and keeping it off the chopping block in the 2012 budget. Many of InterActions supporters plan to email the following to their members of Congress today: Dear Member of Congress: InterAction knows that while you and your colleagues in Congress are out on recess you are very much focused on reducing our national debt and kick starting the economy. Unfortunately before you left town, some of you decided that severely cutting U.S. foreign assistance programs would be one way to help reduce the debt. The State, Foreign Operations bill that came out of the Appropriations subcommittee on July 27 contains cuts that ignore the hazards of disengaging from the world and will put our security and our economic prosperity at risk down the road, hurting our ability to pay off that debt. These cuts come despite a grave crisis in the Horn of Africa where more than 12 million people are affected by the worst drought in 60 years and are in need of immediate life-saving assistance. To review the worst of the reductions, the bill proposes to: Slash U.S. Agency for International Development operating expenses by almost a third Cut Development Assistance by 18% Decrease International Disaster Assistance by 12% (to a level that is fully 42% below the FY10 total) Reduce refugee assistance by 11% (19% relative to FY10) On this World Humanitarian Day, which honors humanitarian workers who provide lifesaving assistance and long term rehabilitation to disaster-affected communities across the world without discrimination, we ask you to please oppose any amendments to further cut the development and humanitarian accounts. In addition, we implore you to please consider sponsoring or supporting amendments to reduce the disproportionate cuts these accounts suffer in this bill. Please see our alliances recommendations for the 2012 foreign assistance accounts. They can be found online at http://bit.ly/ooE2Cy. Thank you. More information about World Humanitarian Day, an annual event spearheaded by the UN which honors humanitarian workers across the globe, is available on InterActions website, Facebook and Twitter.

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InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based nongovernmental international organizations, with more than 190 members. Our members operate in every developing country, working with local communities to overcome poverty and suffering by helping to improve their quality of life. Visit www.interaction.org
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