Please thank Reps Wu and Blumenauer for cosponsoring HR2139, the Initiating foreign assistance rform act of 2009.
This is a big step forward for us. Now we need Shrader, DeFazio, Walden, and Baird
Thanks to Rep Wu and Blumenauer for Cosponsoring foreign aid reform bill
July 1, 2009 by breadorAction Alert: Urge our reps to support Foreign Aid Reform HR2139
June 25, 2009 by breador
The Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009
Summary of H.R. 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009
Take Action
Reps Wu and Blumenauer are already cosponsors of this bill. Our primary focus now is to get Reps Schrader, Defazio, Walden and baird as cosponsors. If you live in their districts please contact them and ask them to cosponsor.
Email Webforms (click the links to contact your representative through through their webforms): Wu, Blumenauer, Schrader, Wyden, Merkley. Baird. DeFazio. Walden.
Details
On April 28, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Representative Howard Berman (D-CA-28) and Representative Mark Kirk (R-IL-10) introduced H.R. 2139, the “Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009,” to direct the president to develop and implement a comprehensive national strategy to further the U.S. foreign policy objective of promoting global development, and for other purposes.
The bill is intended to be a precursor to a broader reform effort later this year, including a comprehensive rewrite of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
The bill has four main sections:
- Requires the president to develop and implement a comprehensive National Strategy for Global Development
- Requires the president to develop and implement a rigorous system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of U.S. foreign assistance
- Requires that both American taxpayers and recipients of U.S. foreign assistance have full access to information on U.S. foreign assistance
- Repeals several outdated provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
1. National Strategy for Global Development
The bill requires the president to develop and implement a National Strategy for Global Development, which will define and streamline the roles of each department and agency engaged in U.S. global development policies, programs, and activities. The strategy will also establish objectives for U.S. development programs that support the overall goals of reducing poverty and contributing to broad-based economic growth in developing countries. The president is encouraged to make the strategy flexible in order to respond to the changing needs and priorities of U.S. foreign assistance and to consult with a variety of stakeholders, both within and outside the government, in the development and implementation of the strategy.
2. Monitoring and Evaluation
Second, the bill requires each U.S. department and agency carrying out foreign assistance to develop a system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of its assistance programs. Each U.S. department and agency will be required to establish measurable performance goals, the capacity to conduct monitoring and evaluation activities, and a process to identify the lessons learned and results of the evaluation activities so that these findings can be incorporated into the future budgeting and implementation of U.S. foreign assistance programs. The bill requires the president to establish a foreign assistance evaluation advisory council to provide assistance in coordinating and facilitating U.S. foreign assistance evaluation.
3. Transparency
Third, the bill requires the president to make publicly available all information on U.S. foreign assistance on a program-by-program and country-by-country basis. To ensure the transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance, American taxpayers and recipients of U.S. foreign aid will have access to all information regarding the planning, allocating, disbursement, contracting, monitoring, and evaluating of U.S. foreign assistance.
4. Repeals
Lastly, the bill repeals and reforms several provisions in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 that are considered to be no longer relevant.
Critical Vote this week in Salem – Without New Revenue, Oregonians’ Pain Will Deepen
June 9, 2009 by breadorAction Alert on Salem Budget
From OCPP
This week the legislature will vote on bills that would raise taxes on the wealthiest Oregonians and corporations. What will it mean for Oregonians if the votes fail?
In its latest fact sheet, OCPP provides examples of cuts in the Co-Chairs’ budget. They illustrate the pain already in store for Oregonians, particularly the most vulnerable — seniors, children, the disabled, the unemployed and low-income families.
Because the Co-Chairs’ budget assumes an additional $800 million in newly raised revenue, “no” votes on HB 2649 and HB 3405 would only heighten the pain for vulnerable populations.
A good indication of the kind of pain that would follow from the defeat of the revenue raising bills — HB 2649 and HB 3405 — is the harm contained in the budget cuts already penciled in. Those cuts are largely set out in the budget that the Co-Chairs of the legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee released in late May.
Please ask your Reps to cosponsor HR2139 – the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act
May 21, 2009 by breadorThe bill is a critical first step toward making foreign assistance more effective, efficient, and transparent. It calls on the president to develop and implement a comprehensive national strategy for global development, improve the evaluation of development programs, and increase the transparency of U.S. foreign assistance to developing countries. Bill summary and complete text »
Bread is working quickly to gain cosponsors for the bill since it is expected to move rapidly from the House Foreign Affairs Committee to the House floor. It is likely that the committee will work on the bill before Congress begins its Memorial Day recess on May 23.
New Sample Letter for House of Representatives can be found on the website at: http://www.offeringofletters.org/resources/sample-letter.html
Email Webforms (click the links to contact your representative through throgh their webforms): Wu, Blumenauer, Schrader, Wyden, Merkley. Baird. DeFazio. Walden.
McMinville Crop Walk
May 21, 2009 by breadorI recently tabled at the McMinville Crop Walk, an event put on by the First Presbyterian church in McMinville. I believe they said that this was their third year of doing this event. I organized a few crops walks myself when I lived on Ohio and Tennessee in earlier parts of my life so I really appreciate the work they have done.
I want to thank Bonnie Churchwell and Ken Morse for inviting me and running a fine event. They opened up with speakers including: Howie Harkema, who runs the St Barnabas soup kitchen in McMinville, and William Mitchel, who works with the McMinville based relief group GeoAid International. When the participamts got back, they each but their foot print on a banner that they will use for next years event. That was a nice unique touch that I haven’t seen before. You can see last years banner in the picture.
It was a very worthwhile event for Bread for the World to appear at. I thank them and look forward to being with them again next year.
April Enews
April 2, 2009 by breador
MONTHLY UPDATE – VOLUME 5 ISSUE 04 - April 02, 2009
ACTION ALERTS
Portland Downtown Small Group Meeting: Monday April 13, Noon-1pm at the Central Library in downtown Portland. We will learn about and write letters on our key foreign aid reform issue. My key goal for the year is to get a number of these small local groups meeting on a monthly basis. We can meet at a house, church library etc. This first meeting is for people who work or live near downtown. Please RSVP (breador@verizon.net) if you can make it, or let me know if you would like to host a meeting in your area. Thanks – Mike
The purpose of these small groups is to create a group that takes one hunger advocacy action each month. A group that meets your needs and time schedule, and does not rely on participation in large regional meetings that require travel and fixed inflexible meeting times. Groups of 3-15 people can meet for one hour each month to stay informed and take action on important issues. These groups can get topic ideas, suggestions and support from the Oregon volunteer coordinator (me: breador@verizon.net) or our regional organizers. Please contact me if you want to participate in a small group close to your home, work, school or church. I can help in getting the word out and can attend your first few meetings to help get things started. Printable Resources for your group (Open the links to view and print the documents): Topics (Cover one topic per meeting, print out a sample letter for each participant) Topic 1: 2009 Offering of Letters, Reforming Foreign Aid: Sample Letter, Background Info Topic 2: Boost Food Stamps in the stimulus package: Sample Letter Topic 3: Restore the Oregon General Assistance program Sample Letter. Background Info A Victory in CongressThanks to your efforts, the voices of poor and hungry people were heard in Congress today! The Senate passed an amendment adding $4 billion for International Affairs back into their budget resolution. Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Lugar (R-IN) offered the amendment and your calls and emails convinced the Senate that this was an important thing to do. The international affairs part of the budget contains the programs that help reduce hunger and poverty. By adopting the Kerry-Lugar amendment, the Senate signaled its support for programs that address agriculture, nutrition, health, water and education in poor countries around the world. The budget process has only begun, but this vote is an important first step in the effort to bolster U.S. poverty focused assistance in the year ahead. Your calls made a difference! Thank you! BREAD’S ISSUES IN CONGRESS:2009 Offering of Letters
2009 Budget
2010 Budget
Child Nutrition Reauthorization
ACT NOW:
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Oregon Food Bank Advocacy Alert
April 2, 2009 by breador
Oregon Food Bank and Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force
In this month’s Advocacy Alert you will find:
Food stamps go SNAP
Federal food stimulus for Oregon
Health reform: kids & vulnerable adults can’t wait
Governor’s Hunger Week
See the take five section to take action on expanding health care coverage.
View the latest Advocacy Alert online as well as past editions.
Sign up for the Advocacy Alert from the OFB website.
Your Calls Made a Difference
April 2, 2009 by breadorThanks to your efforts, the voices of poor and hungry people were heard in Congress today!
The Senate passed an amendment adding $4 billion for International Affairs back into their budget resolution.
Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Lugar (R-IN) offered the amendment and your calls and emails convinced the Senate that this was an important thing to do.
The international affairs part of the budget contains the programs that help reduce hunger and poverty. By adopting the Kerry-Lugar amendment, the Senate signaled its support for programs that address agriculture, nutrition, health, water and education in poor countries around the world.
The budget process has only begun, but this vote is an important first step in the effort to bolster U.S. poverty focused assistance in the year ahead.
Your calls made a difference! Thank you!
Action Alert: Stop cuts to foreign aid budget
March 31, 2009 by breadorYour voice is urgently needed to save lives around the world.
Right now, deep and drastic cuts have been made to President Obama’s proposal for the International Affairs Budget - the part of the budget that contains the funds for all of ONE’s top priorities from global HIV/AIDS, to malaria, and education. In fact, all the progress that we have made in the past few years, and on the campaign trail, is now in jeopardy as the Congress is prepared to wipe away President Obama’s proposed increase in this lifesaving part of the budget.
But there is a way to help. A bi-partisan amendment has been offered in the US Senate by Sens. Kerry and Lugar that would restore the 4 billion dollars that was cut from the International Affairs Budget. A vote on this is expected on Wednesday and we need as many Senators to sign onto the “Kerry-Lugar Amendment” as possible.
Your help as a ONE member is desperately needed right now.
Please call your Senators TODAY and urge them to sign onto the “Kerry-Lugar Amendment” to fully fund the International Affairs Budget.
-Call the Senate Switchboard at, (202) 224-3121, and let them know what state you are calling from and they will connect you to your Senator’s Offices.
-Let them know your name and address, that you are a member of ONE, and leave a message urging the Senator to sign onto the “Kerry-Lugar Amendment” to fully fund the International Affairs Budget.
-Please make sure to call both of your US Senators.
Your help as a ONE member is desperately needed right now. Use your voice to let your elected leaders know that saving lives around the world is not only possible, but that it needs to be a budget priority!
Never before has your voice been so needed to help so many around the world struggling to live through and overcome extreme, less than a dollar a day, poverty. This is a small part of the US Budget that will save millions of people around the world.
Throughout the past year, thousands of ONE members took to the campaign trail and were with all of the candidates from both parties, and garnered bi-partisan American support for efforts to fight global poverty and preventable and treatable disease. All of the candidates saw ONE, recognized ONE, and made historic commitments to ONE and the world’s poorest people. Do not let a small group of Senators in a meeting in DC, cut funding for what we have all worked so hard to support.
Please take action today and use your voice for those in the world without a voice.
All the best,
Ian
Text of the Amendment:
Restore the President’s Request to Fully Fund the International Affairs Budget
Dear Colleague:
As the Senate considers the FY2010 Budget resolution, we would like to urge your support for the Kerry-Lugar amendment to restore funding for the International Affairs Budget. This amendment is cosponsored by Senators Leahy, Voinovich, Kaufman, Menendez…
The amendment we are offering would restore funding for the International Affairs Budget to the level requested by the President. The Chairman’s mark approved by the Senate Budget Committee provides $49.8 billion for the 150 account, $4 billion below the President’s request.
It is vitally important that we fully support the President’s first request for the International Affairs Budget. The Chairman’s mark assigns the same total as last year’s budget: this will not allow us to fund any of the critical initiatives that the President has proposed and the Congress has called for, such as increasing our assistance to key allies like Pakistan and Afghanistan, rebuilding the diplomatic and development capacity of the Department of State and USAID, and tackling the global hunger crisis. It means potentially freezing the rosters of programs that provide life-saving treatment for people with HIV/AIDS, which will prevent us from fulfilling our commitments in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief legislation.
National security and foreign policy experts agree that a strong International Affairs Budget is an essential component of national security. Defense Secretary Gates has said: “What is clear to me is that there is a need for a dramatic increase in spending on the civilian instruments of national security – diplomacy, strategic communications, foreign assistance, civic action, and economic reconstruction and development.”
Some have questioned the size of the President’s request and suggest that it represents a 41% increase from last year. This is inaccurate. Last year’s figure of $38 billion did not include supplemental appropriations. If we add supplemental appropriations to the baseline budget, last year’s total rises to $49.8 billion. The President’s request of $53.8 billion includes supplemental appropriations, and only represents a 9.5% increase for urgent priorities.
We urge strong support for the President’s request. A relatively small investment in development and diplomacy now is a smart investment – and in the best interests of our national security.
We urge you to vote for our amendment to restore the President’s request of $4 billion for the International Affairs Budget.
Hunger Action Forum Wrapup
March 11, 2009 by breadorThe forum went well, special thanks to St Luke’s for hosting us. The event started with Matt and Robin detailing the Offering of letters issue for the year whihc covers the reform of foreign aid. Matt conducted a game of jeapardy with us asking foreign aid related questions, breaking the group into three teams. It was amazing to see just how convoluted and complex foreign aid has become over the years with no overarching coordination and administration.
Robin then delved into the details of the foreign aid issue and what we hope to accomplish. This year we are not focusing on a specific bill but pushing for an overall reform. The sample letter with thus be changing almost monthly depending on where we are in the process. There will be a need to write repeated letters this year as reform winds through th different committees. This may also end up being a multi-year campaign.
Matt did a PBS pledge week style tally of the people from the various churches and how many letters they think they can generate from their events. We got a tally of over 500 letters. A few of the events will be held in the next few weeks and I will be speaking at one of the churches.
We then had a great lunch of soup, muffins, bread and fruit. It allowed us to talk more ask questions and share ideas. Thanks to …
After lunch we had three workshops people could choose from:
Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition programs, Jessica Chanay from the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force came and gave us an update of what is happening in congress on this issue. Bread is following this issue as well and will be sending out action alerts when needed. I will also be genrating a sample letter on our small groups page for groups who want to devote their monthly hunger action meeting on it.
Robin did a presentating on the Biblical Basis of Hunger. There was a lively discussion around our call to action and how we can build a greater recognition of it inside our churches.
Matt covered advocacy in more detail. The three pillars of citizen advocacy are letters, legislative staff office vists and media advocacy (letters to the editor and editorial board vists). Putting the three together multiplies the impact that you can have. We discussed potetial meetings with our regional papers and representatives.
I also covered the small group concept. We are planning on holding hour long monthly meetings at various locations around the metro area (many during the weekday lunch hour). Giving people the chance to participate closer to home and fitting in better with hectic schedules. More information to come.
