Last week, the Obama Administration sent to Congress an $83.4 billion supplemental appropriation request primarily to fund war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and support for Pakistan.  The proposal also includes $7.1 billion for International Affairs programs, some of which targets ONE priority accounts for reducing poverty and addressing humanitarian crises.

Roughly half of the $7.1 billion for International Affairs would support U.S. diplomatic operations, economic aid and law enforcement activities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.  An additional $715 million is for Palestinian assistance and humanitarian relief in Gaza.   Other strategic –related components of the supplemental provide $887 million for U.N. and other peacekeeping missions, $243 million for post-conflict assistance in Georgia, and $98 million in military aid for Lebanon.

Of particular importance to ONE is an additional $1.3 billion included in the supplemental for several development and humanitarian activities.   As he announced at the G-20 meetings in London, President Obama requests $448 million for low and low-middle income countries with vulnerable populations most affected by the global financial crisis.  The aid will target social safety net programs, including cash for work, health, and education interventions, technical assistance for governments and financial institutions, and credit to promote private lending and investment.

The supplemental further seeks nearly $800 million to shore up existing gaps in humanitarian accounts providing food, refugee support, and disaster relief in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world.  Finally, The Administration requests additional assistance for Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Burma in response to political instability, opportunities for transition, and humanitarian needs in these countries.

Congress is expected to consider the supplemental in the coming weeks.  Coming in the wake of passage the past two months of the economic stimulus package, regular FY2009 appropriations, and the FY2010 budget resolution, lawmakers will give close scrutiny to this additional spending proposal.

-Larry Nowels

As you know, the Senate Budget Committee is threatening to cut $4 billion from the President’s budget that would otherwise be used to fight poverty. You can call your senators here. Maryam Aminu from our Government Relations team provides some analysis and background on the Kerry-Lugar amendment.

-Chris Scott

This is going to be a very important week for us who belong to ONE. In February, President Obama made a promising request to Congress for $53.8 billion dollars for the International Affairs (150) account, which funds most of the programs we care about including PEPFAR, Malaria, debt relief, basic education and child survival. It represented a $4 billion increase from the $49.8billion in total spending in 2009. Last week, the House and Senate Budget Committees released their budget resolution with very disappointing allocations for the 150 account. The Senate allocated $49.8 billion, which is a flat-line from last year, which means that we would not be able to increase the number of people with AIDS on ARV treatment and make progress on ending Malaria deaths in Africa, among other important programs that will be stalled. In the House, we are facing an even worse situation.

The good news is we have an opportunity to change these numbers. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) have introduced an amendment to restore $4 billion to the 150 account, which would bring it back up to the level of President’s request of $53.8 billion in the Senate bill. If the amendment passes, the 150 account will have a better chance of receiving an increase, when they reconcile the House and Senate budget resolutions and begin the appropriations process. The amendment will come to the floor this Wednesday or Thursday. We will need to secure 60 votes to pass the amendment. We need your voice now! As a Senate constituent and ONE member, you have the chance, with a simple phone call, to deliver your Senator’s much needed vote to get us to 60 and close the deal. Tomorrow when you get the budget alert from ONE, make haste and make your call to your Senator. Then ask your family and friends to call too. Last year, we won the vote by a huge margin of 73-23. Let’s try and win another decisive victory this year!

-Maryamu Aminu, Government Relations

Great report back from Ross of SetonHall University of ONE students and members lobbying Senator Robert Menendez last Monday.

“Last week the luck of the Irish was with the ONE Campaign. New Jersey members of ONE and our partner organization CARE met with Senator Robert Menendez to discuss his support for several anti-poverty bills going through Congress. For my part in the meeting I thanked the senator for co-sponsoring and voting for the Biden/Lugar amendment to the FY09 international affairs budget which, as many of you might know, restored $4.1 billion dollars…”

Read the rest on the ONE Campus Challenge Blog.

At 1:30 a.m. on Friday night, global poverty advocates scored a major victory. Rallying with allies like Interaction and the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, sending tens of thousands of petitions and making thousands of calls, in just two weeks ONE members created the support needed to restore $4 billion to the 2009 international affairs budget.

The final vote was 73 to 23 in our favor. Now is the moment to thank the senators who voted with us, and stood up for the billion people around the world who live on less than a dollar a day when it really counted.

And now is also the time to contact those who didn’t vote with us and let them know that you’re disappointed and hope to have their support in the future.

Below I’m re-listing all the candidates’ votes by state. You can use the Capitol switchboard – at 202-224-3121- to connect to their office. Please do so today, our representatives need to know they have our support when they choose to vote for the most vulnerable among us.

BIDEN-LUGAR AMENDMENT – Yeas and Nays

At 1 a.m this morning, 73 senators, aided by the support of their ONE member constituents, voted to restore $4.1 billion to the international affairs budget. Below see the break down of “yeas” and “nays.”

(You can also use the links at the bottom to see the same list broken down by voting position and home state.)

Yeas and Nays:

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

Just moments ago, at 1 am, Senators Biden and Lugar won an amendment on the Senate floor to restore $4.1b to the International Affairs budget. Over the course of the day, ONE members helped bring 34 cosponsors to the amendment. It was a great collaborative effort with InterAction and US Global Leadership Campaign, as well as over 75,000 members who signed the petition and made well over 3,500 calls to their Senators’ over the last two days.

The final vote was 73-23. In our favor!

As background, President Bush requested a $3.1b increase to this part of the budget. The House Budget committee gave a $1.5b increase ($1.6 below the President). The Senate Budget Committee cut $4.1b…cutting all of President Bush’s requested increase, PLUS $1b from current spending.

At first, we thought we could only get support for a floor amendment for $2.6b, which would bring the Senate level up to the House. We lined up Senate sponsors, worked with ONE members and partners, and coordinated media outreach. Then in a late night push, Senators Biden and Lugar stepped up to offer an amendment that restored this account to the President’s level…a $4.1b amendment. This was twice the size of any amendment we’ve ever won. All our champions from the earlier amendment moved to support this and we thank every Senator that put their support behind the final, new amendment.

Make no mistake, this is an amazing victory that will translate to millions of lives saved.

It’s late, I’m tired and I’m going to bed — but I know I’ll sleep well. For tonight at least, good night and thank you.

It’s going to be a late night for us and the Senate. The vote on the Biden-Lugar Amendment is scheduled to happen tonight and the Senate will be in session late as they vote on a large series of amendments.

Below is the list of supporters for the Biden-Lugar Amendment. The number currently stands at 40 known supporters, spanning all sides of the aisle – and we are sure there are more out there. ONE Members have placed thousands of calls over the last two days to let their senators know that this amendment is important to them and to the lives of millions of people around the globe. Keep up your hopes and prayers, and check back soon for updates.

Thanks each and everyone of you who have put so much support behind this effort!

…than when they are united in their objects and wishes.”
- Marcus Tullius Cicero

I just want to take a moment to point out that struggles like today’s hopeful passage of the Biden-Lugar Amendment are rarely won without the hard work of many individuals and NGOs.

Two coalitions in particular, Interaction and the US Global Leadership Campaign, are playing critical roles in organizing and leveraging numerous other organizations in support of the Biden-Lugar Amendment.

Thanks, good luck, and keep up the hard work!

Feel free to give them some love in the comments, we’ll send the messages on.

The first big step today we’ve already taken. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, by an overwhelming 18-3 vote this morning, approved an bold expansion of the US commitment to fighting AIDS, TB and malaria through a program called PEPFAR.

In Washington’s marble halls, PEPFAR is a funny name for a part of America’s foreign policy. But for people around the world, PEPFAR is a lifeline to medicines and doctors’ care. Already, through PEPFAR, America has helped provide 1.4 million HIV/AIDS patients with antiretroviral drugs. The new legislation would build on that success. It would provide for medical treatments of 3 million people with AIDS, help to prevent 12 million new infections, and care for 12 million people impacted by the disease, including 5 million orphans. Importantly, the legislation would train 140,000 new health care workers while transforming PEPFAR from an emergency response to a sustainable response program.

The Senate legislation was written by Democratic Senator Joe Biden and Republican Senator Richard Lugar. They lead the Foreign Relations Committee. Later today, they’ll combine forces to press the Senate to approve a budget amendment to restore critical funds for America’s lifesaving work around the globe. We’ll have more as the debate moves forward. Keep the calls headed to your senators and urge them to support the Biden-Lugar amendment.

The next step for PEPFAR is for the full House and the full Senate to vote on their versions of the bill. Stay tuned for updates as the legislation moves ahead.

Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) sign on as cosponsors to the Biden-Lugar Amendment!

That’s all I got…nothing to see here…move along…just the hard work of saving millions of lives.