The Power of Grassroots Action

Jun 22nd, 2007 7:30 PM UTC
By Josh Chernila, ONE Online Communities Coordinator

Yesterday marked a milestone for the ONE Campaign and should show volunteers and members everywhere the impact of your heroic efforts.With the passage yesterday of the (fiscal year 2008) State and Foreign Operations Appropriation bill, the House committed more than $2 billion in additional funding to poverty-fighting development assistance.

There are a lot of hurdles to pass before the bill becomes law. Next week it will be debated in the US Senate, where fortunately, ONE Campaign efforts are already being noticed. For example, in a recent Senate hearing, the ONE Campaign was specifically identified by name to Senator Lugar when he asked how to create a constituency for development in America.

The process of addressing the emergency of disease and extreme poverty requires both electoral victory and legislative accountability. Yesterday’s legislative milestone is a credit to the hard work conducted by members of The ONE Campaign everywhere.

This is a great chance for us to thank the thousands of ONE Campaign members who called and wrote Congress in support of this monumental legislation. When the Senate takes up the bill next week, your voice can be heard yet again.

See below the fold for the ONE Campaign press release heralding yesterday’s historic vote.

ONE Praises House for Historic Poverty-Fighting Effort

$2+ billion more in poverty-fighting assistance is historic bi-partisan commitment in fight

Washington, DC – ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History praised the House of Representatives today for their bi-partisan support of a historic increase of over $2 billion in poverty-fighting development assistance over last year. The funds were included in the FY2008 State-Foreign Operations spending bill, which passed the House early this morning.

“The United States House of Representatives became a global leader today in the fight against treatable, preventable disease and extreme poverty and as a result bolstered America’s security,” said Kimberly Cadena, spokesperson for the ONE Campaign. “The increase the House supported will allow for the continued funding of responsible and effective solutions such as child and maternal health programs and the Global Fund, which have a proven track record of saving lives. The goodwill these programs create for America around the world strengthens our friendships with other nations and makes our nation and world healthier and more secure. Every member of the House of Representatives that supported this bill today should feel incredibly proud of what they’ve worked to accomplish.”

The increase applies to child and maternal health programs, basic education, global health programs to fight HIV/AIDS and the expansion of clean water programs, among others.

Cadena continued, “The bi-partisan support this historic increase received demonstrates that the fight against extreme poverty and global disease is not a Republican or Democrat issue – it’s a human issue. The urge to do the right thing resonates with all Americans and our elected leaders are responding to the overwhelming support their constituent members of the ONE Campaign have for these issues. It is imperative that the next President of the United States continue to do more, because America’s security depends on our action. Programs like these build goodwill for America abroad and a legacy of generosity and compassion here at home.”

Last fiscal year, Congress supported a $1.45 billion increase in poverty-fighting development assistance over the previous year after hundreds of thousands of ONE members wrote letters to their Congressional representatives. This year’s historic increase builds on that momentum.

ONE: THE CAMPAIGN TO MAKE POVERTY HISTORY is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans — ONE by ONE — to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE is a coalition of millions of people and more than 100 of the nation’s leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations.

For more information, please visit: http://www.one.org/.

TAGS: The ONE Blog