On Friday, former Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe came to Northwestern University. The 8th Congressional District of Arizona’s former congressman spoke to Northwestern’s Political Union, a community of students interested in global affairs that hosts weekly informal debates. We were excited to bring the former congressman, a fellow Wildcat himself, to a lively discussion about American

With many in the global development community bracing for a bad outcome while the White House and House Republicans hammered out the details of a final budget package, the spending measure passed yesterday protected a number of poverty-focused programs from severe cuts. After the House had passed a budget in March that slashed humanitarian assistance

The Senate passed the 2011 US budget compromise by a margin of 81-19. This vote came just hours after the House passed it 260-167. We were very pleased to learn that this budget preserves nearly all key funding for programs fighting poverty in the developing world. Here’s a breakdown of how these programs fared in

Yesterday, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sent a letter to members of the House regarding the budget. Here’s an excerpt of their letter: “The federal budget should protect human life and dignity, make the poor a top priority and promote the common good of all during tough economic times… “A just framework for

On the eve of an ever more likely government shutdown, Raj Shah reminds us of the millions of people around the world who count on the support and assistance of the US government. In his first 2011 Annual Letter released last week, the USAID Administrator reflects on the many accomplishments and advancements in US foreign

Kevin Anderson, a lobbyist for the World Food Program, explains why he’s chosen to fast for the world’s poorest people. I haven’t eaten anything since Tuesday night and I’m not planning to eat until Friday. I’m joining Ambassador Tony Hall, New York Times columnist Mark Bittman, nine Members of Congress and more than 36,000 Americans

Evan Von Leer from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) shares some surprising facts and a myth-busting video on the US budget. Read the original post on EGPAF’s Foundation Blog. U.S. Foreign Aid: Setting the Record Straight from EGPAF on Vimeo. This week, the buzz in Washington, D.C. and around the country is all

“How much would you give to save the world? 15 percent of the budget? 10 percent? How about 1 percent?” This is the message that was splashed on the front of today’s issue of Express, a publication of The Washington Post. The ad, sponsored by CARE, WWF and Oxfam America, went on to say, “Currently,

ONE members, we know you’ve done a lot around our budget action. You’ve signed our petition. You’ve called your members of the House. You’ve called your members of the Senate. But now, it’s time for one more action: call President Obama and tell him to defend and protect funding for the world’s poor. Two minutes

Gawain Kripke of Oxfam America talks about a not-so-funny situation that’s happening around our US budget. The foolishness I’m talking about is the federal budget debate. The current drama gripping Washington is whether the factions in Congress will shut down the federal government to spite each other, by failing to enact a stop-gap spending measure

This Wednesday, Raj Shah, the head of USAID, testified in front of a Congress that is threatening to cut funding to development programs by as much as 40 percent. Much of the speech was just as you would expect: a celebration of the success of US aid programs in improving health, cutting hunger and driving

Three ONE members at Seton Hall University were lucky enough to meet Senator Bob Menendez on Monday night at the Second Annual Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony in Middlesex County College in Edison, NJ. The senator established these awards in honor of his late mother in order to inspire other trailblazing American women of achievement

Last Saturday, two ONE members joined me at a town hall meeting hosted by Congressman Ed Royce at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, CA. This was the first time I have even attended a town hall and WOW — what an impact we can make with our representatives! Topics ranged from national

Everyone at ONE’s DC office knows that I’m a big foodie. I love talking about food, dreaming about it and of course, eating it. So, as you can imagine, I was incredibly proud to see one of my culinary heroes, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman, take action against US budget cuts to programs

On Saturday, nine of my fellow ONE members and I attended a town hall meeting with Senator Mark Kirk and Rep. Adam Kinzinger in Normal, Illinois. Sen. Kirk and Rep. Kinzinger spoke about the US federal budget and congressional efforts to deal with the current deficit. As you know, the Senate just rejected the House-passed