Blog Contributor:
Sheila Nix
As ONE’s US executive director, Sheila Nix is responsible for ONE’s advocacy, communications and campaign activities in the United States. She has worked in federal and state politics for the last 20 years. Just before joining ONE, she was a senior vice-president for the Strategy Group focusing on direct mail strategy and production for presidential, congressional and state races. She has also served in senior positions in state government and on statewide campaigns.
Jul 28th, 2011 11:20 AM UTC
By Sheila Nix
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The House State and Foreign Operations subcommittee faced difficult choices in allocating a smaller portion of funds in its FY 2012 bill today. While the legislation does not contain much detail about specific funding levels, we are very concerned about the impact of what appears to be disproportionate and sharp cuts to international development, which could negatively impact priorities like agricultural programs that enable poor farmers to feed their families, and debt relief initiatives that have helped put more than 46 million kids in school over the last decade.
We believe the current bill could have harmful consequences on America’s effective work in saving lives and lifting people out of extreme poverty. We look forward to working with both the House and Senate to restore funding in key global health and development accounts as the budget process moves forward.
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Jul 14th, 2011 4:58 PM UTC
By Sheila Nix
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I’m very pleased to announce that we have two wonderful additions to the ONE team: Laurie Moskowitz, our new senior director of US campaigns, and Dr. Pearl Alice Marsh, our new US policy director.
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Jun 21st, 2011 6:52 PM UTC
By Sheila Nix
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ONE’s cofounder Bono came to Washington, D.C., today to meet with House and Senate lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to thank them for their bipartisan commitment to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease -– and to talk about the importance of continued support for effective programs that are saving millions of lives in the poorest places on the planet for less than 1 percent of the federal budget.
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Jun 13th, 2011 9:21 AM UTC
By Sheila Nix
USAID Administrator Raj Shah’s announcement today that the Obama Administration is committing $450 million over the next three years to GAVI confirms the President’s commitment to help save lives through childhood vaccinations -– often called the “best buy” in public health. The United States’ commitment is a real boost to GAVI’s ongoing efforts to introduce two new vaccines to help prevent pneumonia and diarrhea in infants and children in the developing world.
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May 26th, 2011 5:18 PM UTC
By Sheila Nix
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The U.S. government has the opportunity to save millions of lives and follow through on their own commitments to do so. To that end, we have been actively and persistently engaged with your Administration in an effort to convince you to commit to a strong pledge to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) to help save 4 million infants and children by 2015. To do our share along with other nations, the U.S. should commit $450 million over 3 years.
Today we respectfully send you yet another message, this time through the mouths of children.
As you know, at ONE we strive to give voice to those who simply want their children to have a chance to live. One critical and cost-effective step is to help provide two brand new vaccines to help prevent the two biggest killers of children in poor countries: pneumonia and diarrhea. You and Prime Minister Cameron highlighted this goal just this week in Britain. It is critical to match your stated goal with the funding necessary to achieve it. It is up to you to take the first important step to make this happen.
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Feb 14th, 2011 5:00 PM UTC
By Sheila Nix
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The House Appropriations Committee has faced very difficult choices in designing its budget for the remainder of FY 2011. We at ONE understand the need for greater fiscal restraints –- and the need to do more with less. At the same time, we are deeply disappointed by the Appropriators’ choice to step away from America’s long-term humanitarian interests in improving and preserving lives around the world by helping people lift themselves out of poverty. It is also a retreat from those programs that help bring stability to many areas of strategic importance to the United States.
The House draft bill disproportionately cuts programs that help the neediest people around the world by 25 percent versus an 11 percent reduction overall. While these cuts would have miniscule value in the goal of balancing the budget, they will have real, immediate, and devastating impact on the poorest. For example:
The proposed $450 million cut in contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis means that approximately:
10.4 million bed nets to fight malaria will not be provided;
6 million treatments for malaria will not be administered;
3.7 million people will not be tested for HIV;
58,286 HIV-positive, pregnant women will not receive treatments to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV;
414,000 people will not be provided their antiretroviral (ARV) medication; and
372,000 testing and treatments for tuberculosis will be halted.
We strongly encourage the House to restore funding to programs designed to save lives, help the poorest, and help stabilize areas of great strategic and national security interest to the United States.
We are encouraged by President Obama’s FY 2012 budget released today. It demonstrates the Administration’s commitment to a multifaceted national security policy – one that is built on defense, diplomacy, and development. This budget builds on lifesaving programs designed, promoted, and implemented by President George W. Bush. It supports proven programs like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Millennium Challenge Account, and fulfills commitments to institutions like the Global Fund that make America’s money go further and reach more people in need, while also bolstering stability in the developing world which strengthens our own national interests.
As Congress faces the tough job of restoring fiscal responsibility in Washington, we strongly urge Members to not turn their backs on the world’s most vulnerable. We, along with our 2 million members, will vigorously make the case on their behalf. There is living proof across the world that less than 1% of the total federal budget has helped poor farmers learn to grow more food more efficiently, provided a lifeline to millions with HIV – including pregnant women whose babies can now be born HIV-free — put millions of children under malaria-fighting bed nets by night and into schools by day, and strengthened America’s friendships with millions of people, thus strengthening our own national security. Congress should reorder its priorities and continue America’s lifesaving legacy.
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Feb 9th, 2011 8:26 PM UTC
By Sheila Nix
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ONE and our two million members urge Congress to oppose cuts to U.S. foreign assistance funding that supports critical, lifesaving programs.
For decades the United States has led the way in helping the poorest people in the world become healthier, better educated and more economically self-sufficient. While there is still much to be done, great progress has been made.
Using less than one percent of the United States budget we have helped save millions of lives through basic childhood vaccinations, malaria prevention and treatment, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. It is now possible that, by 2015, no child will be born with HIV. This was unimaginable even 5 years ago. In 2010, 98 million fewer people went hungry compared to 2009, due in part because of our support of agricultural development. Millions more children are in school. More moms are living through childbirth. Since 1990, some 400 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. This is living proof American generosity makes a world of difference.
Cuts to global health and development would achieve only symbolic savings but have a profound impact on human lives and dignity. In these austere times, we must not misplace our priorities. America’s leadership in the world is demonstrated, and assisted, through our assistance to the most vulnerable people.
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