Today’s FY08 budget request represents welcome progress with a $3.5 billion increase in the U.S. international affairs budget and increased funding for the fight against global disease. However, the budget request also cuts core development and humanitarian accounts, funding that helps save millions of lives and creates hope, opportunity and stability for people in the world’s poorest countries.

The ONE Campaign will now continue working with Congress, encouraging our leaders to fully fund this request and go even further, restoring cuts to effective initiatives that help provide education, clean water, refugee assistance and healthcare for mothers and children and fight global disease.

Last week, Congress ensured that America will continue to lead the world in fully funding the fight against global disease and extreme poverty for 2007. Through ONE.org and working on the ground in communities, colleges and churches in all 50 states, the over 2.4 million members of ONE will now continue to ask America to increase effective development assistance and keep our life-saving promises to the world’s poorest people in 2008.