President’s 2009 Budget Request Is In!
February 4th, 2008 at 6:10 pm | posted by Virginia SimmonsPresident Bush sent his budget request for fiscal year 2009 to Congress today and ONE’s Policy Director Erin Thornton has already written an excellent summary of the numbers.
I’m reading through it now, so please be patient with me as I try to give a basic overview…
The 2009 international affairs portion of the request is one of the largest increases from the 2008 budget.
Critically, of the $39.5 billion in the president’s 2009 international affairs budget request, only some portions directly impact the lives of poor people. If this budget is passed as is, the international affairs budget would increase by $3.1 billion, while the poverty-development assistance portion of that budget would increase by $1.4 billion.
Keep in mind that we’re talking about a net increase here, which means that the president requested increases to some accounts, and cuts to others.
The increases:
- A net $63 million increase for global HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria (within the international affairs budget);
- A $681 million increase for the Millennium Challenge Account;
- $400 million for a new International Clean Technology Fund;
- A $335 million increase for the International Development Association (IDA) at the World Bank;
- A $116 million increase for USAID operating expenses and an $84 million increase for the USAID Capital Investment Fund;
- A $111 million increase for debt cancellation;
- A $284 million increase for the Economic Support Fund; and
- A $15 million increase to the Development Assistance account.
The cuts:
- A $251 million cut to child survival funding, (includes a $77 million cut for child and maternal health, a net $74 million cut for infectious diseases and a $90 million cut for family planning);
- A $131 million cut to international disaster and famine funding;
- A $258 million cut to refugee assistance; and
- A $163 million cut to the Democracy Fund.
If you want to dig deeper into all of this, you can download our current analysis of the president’s budget request here. We’ll update you as new analysis comes in and as the budget moves through approval in Congress.
-Virginia Simmons
February 4th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
i want an end to poverty…..we must keep talking….but make sure our elected officials get it…if they dont hear us…dont vote for them….ask your candidate…do you care and what is your plan to end global poverty……not what issue is going to help change it or what money can be freed up to help end global poverty….do you care..what’s your plan…and are you done talking and going to do something?we cant afford any longer to just talk for all the reasons that we we can all name..
February 4th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
the numbers are not important….yeah relevant not important…….feed the world….how?the u.s. has the power……it is absolutely enraging to me when the government says that it is politics that keep from solving poverty…………politics couldnt stop any military movement……….i am not for or against war….cause i know there are all to many reasons of war and it would be foolish of me to say no war…but hey man if we can war we feed………anyone who says politics is the problem it isnt it is that there are people in this world who will stand up and look you in the eye and say that they support ending poverty in the world but they are not……..it is this simplie………i will say it clearly we have liars among the powerful……it is time to say change and mean it………follow the money…………..not the words…………i say that we should not be polite anymore by not naming names of those who are standing in the way….we might as well bite the hands that feeds cause their are those who arent getting fed………….
February 4th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Thanks Virginia for posting this info about the President’s proposed budget for FY2009. It makes for very interesting reading.
BTW, DATA has an EXCELLENT analysis of this proposed budget on its website (www.data.org). While their analysis may not read like a Stephen King novel, it is concise and incisive as all of DATA’a analyses are.
Now that it’s becoming more apparent who will be the choices for the Presidential election, let’s get back to the nuts and bolts of our movement - ORGANIZING THE GRASSROOTS and SIGNING MORE PEOPLE UP FOR ONE !
Take very good care of each other, dear friends at ONE. Blessings - not just for those who kneel.
ALWAYS ONE in the Spirit, debbie
February 4th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Hey Debbi, That’s the same analysis as the pdf attached here:)
February 5th, 2008 at 5:14 am
Thanks Virginia. It’s never a bad idea to visit that website. It is full of the sort of info that ONE supporters need to know to be able to effectively speak up on behalf of the world’s poorest people.
Now - ON TO ORGANIZING THE GRASSROOTS & SIGNING MORE FOLKS UP TO ONE!
That is what we need to do to be able to ensure that the good parts of this proposed budget gets passed.
Have a beautiful day, dear friends, at ONE. Please don’t let it get away.~
A:WAYS FOREVER, ONE - debbie
February 5th, 2008 at 11:09 am
go debbie go! thanks ginny!
February 6th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Thanks Michael for the vote of confidence - it’s much appreciated.
And just to get the month of February off to a GREAT start, I just sent to the national ONE office today 200 more sign-ups for ONE on our petitions to add to the current total on our home page.
How about re-committing ourselves to signing up to ONE at least THREE MILLION Americans before the Presidential elections in November?
United AS ONE, it can be done. ~
Take very good care of each other, dear friends at ONE. Blessings abound - just look around!
ALWAYS FOREVER, ONE - debbie
PS: Look out for that Priority Mail envelope, everyONE in the DC office!