[Oe List ...] Devastating!

[Del Morrill]

Subject: Saving Poverty-Fighting Funding

Hi, I don’t usually sign or send on petitions but this is too important to
pass by.

I'm taking action with ONE to let you know that Congress is on track to cut
poverty-fighting funding in the 2009 budget, putting the lives of millions
of people who depend on our help at risk.

ONE members around the country are sending a petition to the Senate asking
that they restore that funding and uphold our promise to the world's poorest
people.

You can sign the petition here: HYPERLINK
"http://www.one.org/2009budget"http://www.one.org/2009budget

Thanks for taking action with me.

 

 


 HYPERLINK "http://www.one.org/images/mail/one_sm.jpg"



 

HYPERLINK
"http://www.one.org/2009budget/?id=254-2630554-s.nTjz&t=1"HYPERLINK
"http://www.one.org/2009budget/?id=254-2630554-s.nTjz&t=1"In the great
American tradition of helping others help themselves, we, the undersigned,
ask that the U.S. Senate pass the Durbin-Smith amendment to restore $2.6
billion
to the international affairs budget.HYPERLINK
"http://www.one.org/2009budget/?id=254-2630554-s.nTjz&t=1"

Dear ONE Member,

While the presidential candidates were responding to your pressure and
announcing their plans to visit Africa, Congress was putting together the
2009 budget. And the numbers don't look good.

As it stands today, the Senate is considering a $4 billion cut from the
president's 2009 international affairs budget. What's most shocking is that
this would represent a cut of $1 billion from this year's funding, a huge
loss at a time when we are poised to do so much to combat extreme poverty
and global disease. Slashing this funding would be simply devastating to
people like those surviving HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis thanks in part
to the help America provides.

Thankfully, we're not the only ones who've noticed the problem, and Senators
Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) have introduced an amendment
to restore $2.6 billion to the international affairs budget, to match the
House of Representatives funding level.

Here is where we come in. We only have one week to get the majority of the
Senate to support this effort. It's up to us to take action and make sure
that our senators pass a budget that reflects our values. So we're launching
a petition asking the Senate to support this amendment:

You can add your name here:
HYPERLINK
"http://www.one.org/2009budget/o.pl?id=254-2630554-s.nTjz&t=2"http://www.one
.org/2009budget/o.pl?id=254-2630554-s.nTjz&t=2

Petition text:
In the great American tradition of helping others help themselves, we, the
undersigned, ask that the U.S. Senate pass the Durbin-Smith amendment to
restore $2.6 billion to the international affairs budget.

Increasing the size of the international affairs budget is vital to
increasing the amount the U.S. gives to poverty-focused development
assistance. The international affairs budget funds all the proven solutions
that we call for time and again: lifesaving AIDS medications, basic
education, access to clean water, and many more programs helping people work
their way out of poverty.

To save these programs, we've set an aggressive goal of gathering 60,000
signatures before we deliver the petition to every senator next week. Please
add your name:
HYPERLINK
"http://www.one.org/2009budget/o.pl?id=254-2630554-s.nTjz&t=3"http://www.one
.org/2009budget/o.pl?id=254-2630554-s.nTjz&t=3

The fight over the international affairs budget is just the first important
step to making sure that we keep our promise to help the world's poorest
people. Later in the year, we'll work to make sure that enough of the
international affairs budget goes to the programs that are making a real
difference in the developing world. But that fight will be much more
difficult if we don't get a high level of funding for the poorest among us
here and now.

Thank you for your voice,

Josh Peck, ONE.org

 

 

 


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