Ask Your Representative to Co-Sponsor the Initiaiting Foreign Aid Reform Act

Next week, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will be considering bi-partisan HR. 2139, the ‘Initiating Foreign Aid Reform’ Act, which was introduced by Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). The bill does not request any spending. It begins a process of modernizing and harmonizing the work of the different agencies that implement US foreign assistance, by directing the President to develop a single plan and a common set of goals that will govern how we provide development and humanitarian aid to the world’s poorest people.

The end goal is to re-write the foreign assistance Act of 1961 that was signed by President Kennedy to address Cold War problems into the 21st century to better address current development needs. Successful passage of a new foreign assistance act will mean more American professionals working on aid, better communication and coordination between aid agencies like USAID, the Peace Corps, USDA, PEPFAR and MCC, and better cooperation with other donor countries. The result will be that every dollar spent will go even further, there will be a more even spread of aid among those in need and the best ideas and goals will guide our aid programs.

You can help move this process forward, by calling your Representative and asking them to cosponsor H.R. 2139 as a first step to begin the process of foreign aid reform.

Instructions and Talking Points are below. Use the form on the right to let us know how those calls went.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING YOUR CALLS

1. Introduce yourself to the Senate staff member who answers your call, and make sure to tell her or him that you are a constituent.
2. Explain that you are calling to ask your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 2139, the 'Initiating Foreign Aid Reform' Act.
3. You can continue by suggesting specific questions from the talking points, below.
4. When you're finished, thank the staff member for his or her time and for passing along your concerns. Then report how your call went using the reporting tool, to the right.

TALKING POINTS

1. H.R. 2136 is a first step in an important process to modernize the U.S. foreign assistance regime.
2. Experts including Defense Secretary, Robert Gates and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton have said that it is important that development be elevated and prioritized as a key foreign policy issue on the same level as defense and diplomacy .i.e. the '3Ds,' and we need our development programs to be up-to-date like our defense and diplomacy systems.
3. This bill does not contain any funding authorities. It directs the President to design and implement a national development strategy to streamline and consolidate US foreign assistance programs, and increase cooperation and coordination with other donor countries and institutions.