Senator Robert Casey
ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road.
Today, I joined ONE members at a rally for Pennsylvania Senate candidate Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.). Rep. Sestak was stuck in Washington, D.C., however, former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) were there to fill in.
Pennsylvania ONE member Amanda Modispaw was able to speak with Clinton and thanked him for saving lives in Africa and Haiti.
She also made sure to mention that more than 40,000 ONE members signed a petition urging world leaders to make good on their pledges to rebuild Haiti. Clinton thanked Amanda and ONE for the support and said that he definitely noticed our ONE T-shirts in the crowd when he was speaking.
I was also able to speak with Sen. Casey about his hard work on global food security issues and informed him that all ONE members were making calls to their senators and urging them to sign on to the Lugar-Casey letter, which asks the Senate to pass the Global Food Security Act.
I thanked Sen. Casey, who was happy to put on a ONE band, but he told me that it was our ONE members who should be thanked for their advocacy efforts. This is only the beginning of ONE Vote 2010 and we’re off to a tremendous start lending our voices for the world’s poorest people.
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Senator Bob Casey (PA) just issued this press release in support of the International Affairs Budget. As he put it, while the issue might not get a lot of headlines, “it is important for American taxpayers to know what their investment in the International Affairs Budget means for improving the domestic job market and what benefits they reap from helping to build stable societies and markets overseas.”
Here’s the full press release:
Casey Highlights Export Help for PA Companies During Foreign Relations Budget Hearing
WASHINGTON, DC- During a Foreign Relations Committee hearing today on the State Department budget, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, highlighted funding in the budget that promotes U.S. exports and businesses abroad. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the Committee.
“It may not receive a lot of headlines, but I think it is important for American taxpayers to know what their investment in the International Affairs budget means for improving the domestic job market and what benefits they reap from helping to build stable societies and markets overseas,” said Senator Casey. “The Export-Import Bank alone has financed $3 billion in exports from Pennsylvania since 2005. The International Affairs Budget funds are critical to promoting U.S. exports, protecting intellectual property rights and advocating for American businesses abroad. I am pleased that Secretary Clinton and President Obama realize the important assistance they can provide to promote U.S. companies and products overseas. And I appreciate Secretary Clinton’s remarks today supporting continued and expanded efforts to promote U.S. companies and products to create jobs in Pennsylvania and around the country.”
Since 2005, the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which is funded through the international affairs budget, has financed $3.06 billion in exports from Pennsylvania supporting 223 companies in 112 communities.
Also funded under this budget, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency promotes economic growth in developing and middle-income countries, while simultaneously helping American businesses to export their products and services.
Additionally, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) is an independent U.S. government agency that assists U.S. companies by providing financing (from large structured finance to small business loans), political risk insurance and investment funds. OPIC complements the private sector in managing risks associated with foreign direct investment and supports U.S. foreign policy.
The international affairs budget is economically beneficial in other ways as well. USAID has granted millions of dollars in funding to projects administered by 21 Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) in Pennsylvania.
Dec 11th, 2009 9:57 AM UTC
By Field
Recently, PA ONE Members’ Brian Thomas, Dan Kheloussi, and I met with Senator Robert Casey’s Pittsburgh, PA Staff. We began the meeting by thanking the Senator for cosponsoring S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 introduced by Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar. S. 1524 would strengthen the capacity, transparency, and accountability of United States foreign assistance programs to effectively adapt and respond to new challenges of the 21st century.
We also thanked the Senator for adding his name to the November 2009 Senate letter authored by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), calling for a robust request for International Affairs in his FY’11 budget. to fund important poverty fighting programs such as global health, debt relief, agricultual development and basic education.
PA ONE Members requested that Senator Casey become a cosponsor S. 624, the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2009 sponsored by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Corker (R-TN). S. 624, would provide 100,000,000 people with first-time access to safe drinking water and sanitation on a sustainable basis by 2015.
The meeting concluded with us thanking Senator Casey’s Staffs for his leadership on S.384, the Lugar-Casey ‘Global Food Security’ Act. The United States is a global leader in providing emergency food and disaster assistance. However, these interventions, while critical, are not sustainable solutions to improve the lives of millions that are vulnerable to food insecurity. Investment in sustainable agricultural development is necessary. Senator Casey’s Staff was very receptive to the information we discussed. PA ONE Members will be following up on the requests made during the meeting!
-Sarah Wonders, PA ONE Member
Yesterday was a good day for the developing world – and for ONE – with several positive outcomes from the G20 meetings in London. What capped off the day really well was a tidbit mentioned by President Obama in his evening remarks. He announced that he will work with Congress to double support for agricultural development to over $1 billion “…so that we are giving people the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty.”
In details released today, the White House specified that this funding – which will be requested for the FY2010 budget – aims to modernize developing country agriculture in order to increase productivity and rural incomes. Specific assistance areas include increasing the use of technology, linking farmers to markets, increasing access to quality inputs like seeds, tools, fertilizers, irrigation, and rural credit, and encouraging private investment in agriculture. The White House is also committed to reducing dependency on food aid, bringing the poorest into the growth process through social safety net programs, and building/strengthening partnerships with the international community, private sector, NGOs, and U.S. universities.
In 2008, the U.S. provided approximately $450 million to agriculture in the developing world. In our proposal to the Obama Administration earlier this year, ONE requested at least $850 million for the FY2010 budget for agriculture. For the U.S. to reach a funding target of more than $1 billion for agricultural development initiatives in the developing world certainly exceeds our request.
The commitment to exceed $1 billion for agriculture in the developing world also aligns well with the Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Robert Casey (D-Penn.)’s proposed Global Food Security Act, which was introduced in the 111th Congress and cleared the Senate Foreign Affairs committee on Tuesday by unanimous vote. The bill requests almost $1.5 billion in FY2010 for agricultural development initiatives, research and technological innovation, training, and emergency food assistance.
As the White House noted, “…We can directly improve the lives of poor populations by growing rural economies through broad-based agriculture growth.” This funding comes at a crucial time for developing countries where food prices remain high and families are facing decreased incomes and remittances due to the global financial crisis. Investing in agriculture will not only bolster food security in the developing world, but it will enable families and communities to increase their incomes through agriculture-driven economic productivity.
The funding will be targeted in 25 countries and 8 regions; in Africa this includes Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, and Eastern and Southern Africa. Other targeted areas are South and East Asia, Latin America, and the Near East. We applaud President Obama and urge him to follow through speedily with meeting this commitment. ONE will be following this topic closely and will be sure to keep you updated.
-Beth Adler
Late last week, hundreds of ONE members called to urge Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee to ask questions about global poverty during Hillary Clinton’s Secretary of State confirmation hearing.
Some of those senators didn’t even get a chance, because Secretary-designate Clinton answered their questions before they could be asked. Her opening statement featured a long section on the two billion people worldwide living on less than $2 a day. She emphasized that the plight of the poor is “not marginal to our foreign policy but integral to accomplishing our goals.”
Opening remarks by Senator John Kerry (Massachusetts) also included a strong statement about the ongoing global hunger crisis. “The United States is uniquely situated to help the world feed itself and has the opportunities to recast its image by making the eradication of hunger a centerpiece of United States foreign policy,” he said.
In the subsequent question-and-answer period, ten out of fifteen of the Foreign Relations Committee Senators raised issues related to ONE issues, including these:
- Senator Bob Corker (Tennessee) asked about reforming and modernizing U.S. foreign aid, referring to the “maze of aid efforts that are underway” and the need for the State Department to examine and streamline these efforts.
- Senator Barbara Boxer (California) stated that “HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis — Africa, Asia, Latin America need our attention,” and went on to describe the persecution of women in the developing world.
Clinton responded with this assurance: “I want to pledge to you that as Secretary of State I view these issues as central to our foreign policy, not as adjunct or auxiliary or in any way lesser than all of the other issues that we have to confront.”
- Senator George Voinovich (Ohio) inquired about how “smart power” — (more…)
Greetings from Pennsylvania! The new year is here and already Pennsylvania ONE members are off and running helping to raise awareness and participate in advocacy related events for ONE! Many PA ONE members have been busy the last couple of days making calls to Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey urging him, as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, to ask Senator Hillary Clinton questions related to global poverty and disease at her confirmation hearing as Secretary of State. I have been informed by a member of Senator Casey’s staff that he would do his very best to urge the Senator to ask these questions and at the very least submit the Questions for the Record. There is still time to contact Senator Casey’s office at 202-224-6324 so please do so and please remember to log your calls at www.one.org!
Philadelphia ONE members are planning some events around Martin Luther King Day including their Annual MLK Day of Service at a recreation center on January 19th and their Annual MLK Symposium on January 24th, 2009. ONE tables will be set up and ONE member Deesha Dyer will be conducting a workshop promoting advocacy with elected officials. Please visit www.geoclan.com/mlk to register for the Symposium. The group also has plans to paint a mural in support of ONE and the Millennium Development Goals in the Spring. More to come in the near future about these exciting events on the blog!
One other highlight to mention! On February 15th, 2009 Lebanon Valley College will be hosting a ONE Sabbath Forum on campus at Miller Chapel starting at 2:00pm. The panel will consist of different faith leaders who will be asked to answer questions related to global poverty and disease and how their faith communities are responding to the emergency facing many in the developing world. The panel will be moderated by the Rev. Sandra L. Strauss, Director of Public Advocacy for the Pennsylvania Council of Churches and will be captured on DVD for others to utilize as an advocacy tool. This is only the beginning of 2009 and PA ONE members have already been hitting the phones and submitting Letters to the Editor asking President Elect Obama to make extreme poverty a priority in his new administration. We’re off to a great start here in PA ….LET’S KEEP IT UP!
-Brian Sweeney, ONE Volunteer
There’s a huge amount of attention this week on Capitol Hill focused on the economy – and rightly so. The economics dominating the news affects all of us. It’s important to note that the current financial crisis could also adversely impact poor countries already suffering from both high food and fuel prices. Understandably, most of the responses to the food crisis to date have been short-term, immediate aid. Governments and aid organizations have been working to get help to the people who are suffering, and that must not be delayed. But short-term responses only treat the symptoms. We need a long-term strategy to prevent future crises from occurring.
This week in the Senate, bipartisan legislation was introduced by Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana and Democratic Senator Robert Casey of Pennsylvania to begin to target the root causes of the food crisis. This bill, the “Global Food Security Act” (S. 3529), is a smart step forward in what must be a comprehensive and global response to the situation facing millions of people.
According to the Senators’ offices, the bill would authorize $10 billion over 5 years for agricultural productivity and rural development. Drawing on the experience and expertise of U.S. land grant colleges and universities, the bill would create a new program to strengthen institutions of higher education in the areas of agriculture sciences, research, and extension programs. Investments in human capital and institutional capacity are important to developing a robust agricultural sector. It calls for increasing collaborative research on the full range of biotechnological advances including genetically modified technologies. The legislation also would improve the U.S. emergency response to food crises by creating a separate Emergency Food Assistance Fund that can make local and regional purchases of food, where appropriate. The legislation would provide USAID with the flexibility to respond to emergencies more quickly, without supplanting other food programs.
That last point is particularly important in emergency response. Too often, when a food crisis hits a region, current U.S. law limits the American response. This proposal, if enacted, would allow U.S. funds to purchase food supplies in regions much closer to the crisis zone. Instead of waiting for the first shipments of food to arrive from the United States, which can take many days if not weeks, local officials would be able to purchase food from that region’s suppliers, speeding help to the people who are starving.
ONE also believes that we have to address the root of the problem: building the capacity for people in Africa and elsewhere to grow enough food to feed their families while increasing support for long-term rural development efforts. Put simply, the United States should help to provide people with the tools that they need to fend for themselves. When we take those steps, we begin to address the core of the food crisis.
The Lugar-Casey bill is a good approach, and ONE looks forward to working with the Senators to see it approved by Congress.
-Sara Rogge, Senior Trade Policy Advisor
