Tell Congress: Maintain U.S. Leadership in Humanitarian Assistance
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The world is currently facing unprecedented humanitarian needs. The conflict in Ukraine has passed its one-year anniversary, Turkey and Syria are recovering from the effects of a devastating series of earthquakes, communities are still reeling from the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and global hunger rates continue to rise.
The President’s Budget Request for fiscal year 2024, which was released last week, includes funding for critical areas such as food security, climate change adaptation, and peacebuilding programs.
We applaud the Biden administration’s recognition of growing international needs while acknowledging how much work is left to be done in improving the resilience of communities around the world to be able to withstand future shocks and stresses.
In order to fully support populations around the world that bear the most serious impacts of several compounding crises, the U.S. must continue to step up its investments in foreign assistance.
As decisions around a final budget are negotiated in the House and Senate, urge your representative to maintain robust levels of humanitarian and development assistance in the fiscal year 2024 budget.
Here is the letter we’ll send to Congress on your behalf:
Dear Member of Congress,
As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to support robust funding for the International Affairs budget for fiscal year 2024.
In order for the United States to maintain its leadership investing in lasting change through foreign assistance, key foreign aid accounts must be fully funded for the upcoming fiscal year. Investments in the Migration and Refugees Assistance and International Disaster Assistance accounts, which provide funding for lifesaving, emergency assistance to communities around the world, should be funded at $4.14 billion and $4.98 billion, respectively. Over 100 million people are displaced worldwide as a result of violent conflict, climate disasters, and human rights violations, and supporting strong baseline funding for these key accounts is an important step toward alleviating suffering for vulnerable populations.
Additionally, investing in long-term sustainable development and resilience measures in countries that have been affected by recurring humanitarian crises will help increase communities’ abilities to withstand shocks such as drought and conflict. Investments in the Development Assistance account must be no less than $5.43 billion and the Economic Support Fund account at $5.39 billion. By promoting peace and democracy abroad, the U.S. can build more political allies with countries that have strong governance structures, economic growth, and social stability.
It is critical that you support these International Affairs accounts to be sufficiently funded to meet global humanitarian priorities.
Sincerely,