Take Action: Support Aid Reform
Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced a bill that will begin the long process of updating America’s anti-global poverty efforts. The bill is called the Initiating Foreign Aid Reform Act, and it’s the first step of many in reforming how we do development work. By directing the president to write a new strategy, successful passage of the Berman-Kirk bill will move us closer to our goal of bringing development into the 21st century.
Next week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will consider this critical bill, and before they do we need to make sure it has broad support, by getting as many members of Congress as possible to sign-on as co-sponsors.
American anti-poverty efforts save lives in the developing world every day, funding AIDS drugs and anti-malarial bed nets. Our commitment to development makes it possible for farmers to improve their yields, and for more children to go to school, breaking cycles of hunger and poverty.
Please call your representative, using the House switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and ask him or her to co-sponsor HR. 2139: the Initiating Foreign Aid Reform Act.
-Aaron Banks
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May 14, 2009 at 1:01 pm
HOW can we fund new foreign aid bill, HR2139, with a FED that is totally OUT OF CONTROL?
The FEDeral reserve inspector general is NOT doing her job. My congressman, Alan Grayson, Dem., has hit the nail squarely on the head. Where is the accounting of 9 trillion missing dollars since 8 months ago? Watch the crappy answers as Grayson grills this creepy inspector woman, who is totally clueless:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJqM2tFOxLQ
Unbelievable !!!
May 14, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Whatever the state of the FED we need to help make things happen. My call to Congressman’s Foster’s (IL) office went well, with an aide taking my message to encourage Congressman Foster to co-sponsor HR 2139. Poverty affects all of us in myriad ways and we can all play a part in the poverty elimination mission.
May 14, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Maybe you don’t get it, Sarah.
I already called my Congressman to support HR2139, but I also congratuled him for supporting Hr1207 and for taking the initiative to straighten out the corrupt Federal Reserve bank. Without money, what good is HR2139 going to do? The FED’s accountability is the crucial question as to the future effectiveness of all government programs.
May 14, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I am a VA resident (permanent). My rep is Glenn Nye. Spoke with his office, Will receive email reply. I noted US history of global aid, of which I am proud. I noted I am a stay-at-home mom whose heart breaks at the thought of a child anywhere suffering unnecessarily because of well-intentioned but outdatedly inefficient aid efforts. I mistakenly asked that Congressman Nye “suppot” the bill rather than asking that he “co-sponsor” it–I was nervous.
These calls are so easy to make. A real person always answers. These folks work for us. My conversation was a pleasure and quite empowering. It feels good tobe a proactive citizen. It’s the right thing to do and is its own reward. I challenge every stay-at-home mom to get involved and make this call on behalf of the children of fellow mothers the world over. Call it the Oprah effect, whatever. Just pick up up the phone for the world’s children, grateful that yours do not suffer or starve or want for anything they need.
May 14, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Mollie, Sarah and Donald,
Thank you so much for calling your representatives in Congress. Mollie is absolutley right that real people are answering these calls and our voices have a real impact on our elected officials, particularly when we all work together as ONE.
In answer to Donald’s concern about funding the Initiating Foreign Aid Reform Act, I have good news. This bill doesn’t cost a dollar, because it has no funding requests. Instead, it asks the President to look at our overall foreign aid strategy and see how we can harmonize and modernize it to increase efficiency and accountability. Those are goals on which I hope we can all agree.
Best,
Aaron
May 16, 2009 at 12:20 am
We can, Aaron. In fact, while in the Senate, President Obama (then Senator Obama, obviously) actually wrote a bill somewhat similar to this one. His bill would affect the streamlining of millions of tax dollars, as will this one. Good, effective aid saves taxpayers a lot of money.
May 16, 2009 at 10:59 am
Where is all of this money?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJqM2tFOxLQ
The breakdown of the dollar will undermine all of ONE.org efforts. This crap started with Bush and has not ceased to this day!