WASHINGTON — The ONE Campaign released the below statement reacting to President Trump’s State of the Union address. In his remarks last night, the President called for legislation that would, “ensure American foreign-assistance dollars always serve American interests.”

Tom Hart, the North America executive director for The ONE Campaign, said:

“American foreign assistance already serves American interests. America’s generosity saves lives, lifts people out of poverty, promotes stability, spurs economic growth, and brings hope to the darkest of places. Our generosity also makes Americans safer, creates American jobs, and moves us closer to the day in which American foreign assistance is no longer needed.

“American generosity doesn’t ask if we have voted one way or the other, it saves lives no matter where crises happen. This is why America is a beacon to the world, but a massive cut to America’s poverty-fighting foreign assistance programs — as the President proposed last year and appears ready to do again this year — betrays that legacy.”