Right now, more than 200 ONE members, representing all 50 states, are on Capitol Hill to meet with 212 members of Congress and their staffs to ask them to protect life-saving programs in this year’s international affairs budget.
And these meetings couldn’t have come at a more critical time.
Yesterday, the administration told reporters to “expect a large reduction in foreign aid” when they see the budget. We need to tell Congress NOW that this is not acceptable and that fighting extreme poverty overseas matters to the people they represent.
Can you call your senators this morning and ask them to protect the foreign assistance budget? If ONE members are meeting them in person AND they’re getting phone calls all day long, they can’t ignore us. We need to make sure that senators know that their constituents do not support these cuts.
Click here, put in your number, and we’ll call you with talking points so you know exactly what to say. Or, dial 1-888-213-2881 and tell the staffer that answers that you’d like your senator to oppose cuts to the international assistance budget, which saves the lives of millions of people living in extreme poverty and helps keep our country safe.
The administration is saying this budget will help make us safer. But General James Mattis, now the Secretary of Defense, once said that if the government “does not fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.”
Big cuts to the international assistance budget won’t make us safer here at home, and it won’t make countries more stable overseas. We need to remind senators that foreign assistance is a critical part of our national security, and massive cuts will move us in the wrong direction.
Take five minutes and call your senator right now. If you’re not sure what to say, here are simple talking points to help you: Let them know that they represent you as your senator, and tell them that your fellow ONE members are walking around the halls of the Capitol and you echo their message that significant cuts to the international affairs budget are not acceptable.
Thanks for your support! It makes a big difference.
