3-9-09 Omnibus Budget Statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:

Tawana Jacobs, 202-552-6534 (Office), 202-297-1696 (Cell), [email protected] Nasserie Carew, 202-552-6561 (Office), 202-341-3814 (Cell), [email protected]

INTERACTION APPLAUDS FY2009 BUDGET LEADERSHIP SHOWN IN SUPPORT OF POVERTYFOCUSED DEVELOPMENT AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS STATEMENT FROM SAMUEL A. WORTHINGTON, INTERACTION PRESIDENT & CEO

Washington, DC (March, 10, 2009)—“We applaud the leadership shown by Congress and President Obama in the smart investments made in poverty-focused development and humanitarian relief programs for fiscal year 2009. While some humanitarian and international peacekeeping accounts remain underfunded relative to need and U.S. international obligations, we are hopeful that the spring supplemental budget negotiations will remedy that situation, and we applaud the healthy increases received by several other accounts. We are also pleased that Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) funding was increased in the final bill. At this time of world economic crisis, we look forward to working with the Congress and Obama administration to strengthen the MCA and realize its vision of transformational, long-term development programming as a vital part of our foreign policy apparatus.”

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Visit www.interaction.org to read more about InterAction and its member organizations. InterAction is the largest alliance US-based nongovernmental international humanitarian relief and development organizations with 175 members. Our members operate in every developing country, working with local communities to overcome poverty and suffering by helping to improve their quality of life.