ONE Act a Week: Make noise for global poverty on Thanksgiving

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida’s 25th Congressional district took the time to talk to ONE in his office in Congress last month. Rep. Diaz-Balart is known for being one of the most bipartisan members of Congress, and as a member of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, he’s a great champion of our fight to end extreme poverty. He’s also been a great ONE supporter – he’s been meeting with ONE members from Florida since 2007.

In our interview, Rep. Diaz-Balart talked to us about Bono, his wife Tia’s humanitarian efforts, why he thinks US foreign assistance is such a bipartisan issue, and what he plans to do to help keep the IA budget off the chopping block.

Jen Olson, ONE’s Deputy Director of US Government Relations, keeps us posted on budget resolutions and what they mean for foreign assistance in the future. Late last week, the House and Senate passed their budget resolutions, which outline each chamber’s tax and spending priorities for the year. In the House, Republican Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s

As I’m sure you all can imagine, it’s been a busy week in Congress. With the budget debate still going strong and sequestration looking more and more likely, all US-funded programs are on the chopping block. Photo credit: The Global Fund  With everything at risk, the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), a group of more than 25

Lauren Pfeifer wrote up a great article outlining how programs like GAVI and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria have helped make progress on our poverty-fighting plan, the UN Millennium Development Goals, last week. Her article outlined the hard facts – but at the end of the day, we know that seeing

Michigan ONE Member Sara Isaac explains how Michigan universities have set aside differences to work for a better world. There are few athletic rivalries fiercer than the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Wolverines and the Michigan State University Spartans. Last week, however, ONE members at the U of M and MSU overlooked their differences and united

Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing to discuss the impacts of the looming sequester, the approximately 5 percent across-the-board cuts in all discretionary spending, set to take effect on March 1. Sequestration will have severe consequences for programs that fight HIV/AIDS, childhood diseases and hunger. At the request of the Appropriations Committee Chairwoman,

Chicago ONE Congressional District Leader Nina Rodriguez discusses facing fears and making a difference. Chicago weather can be often unpredictable and severe. Last week, there was a winter storm in Chicago, causing a mix of heavy rain and snow. Despite the winter storm, several dedicated individuals attended the ONE “Advocacy in Action” Meet and Greet at

Chicago ONE Congressional District Leader Kyle Deming shares tips on how to translate your passion into effective advocacy. A few weeks ago, ONE Regional Field Director Tzviatko Chiderov and I led an “Advocacy in Action” event at Wicker Park in Chicago. The purpose of the event was two-fold: first, to provide current and prospective ONE

Illinois ONE member John Cockrell believes your voice can-and will- be heard.  For organizations like ONE, this is a crucial month: Unless our leaders in Washington act, sequestration will take effect on March 1st, which would significantly reduce the International Affairs account of the US budget. For these last few days of February, ONE will