Interaction Fy08 302b Sign-on Letter Obey

April 30, 2007 President & CEO Sam Worthington Chair Charlie MacCormack,

Save the Children Vice Chair Ritu Sharma,

Women’s Edge Coalition Treasurer Amy Coen,

Population Action International

Board of Directors Nancy A. Aossey,

International Medical Corps

Ken Bacon, Refugees International David Beckmann, Bread for the World Carol Bellamy, World Learning Sekyu Chang,

Korean American Sharing Movement Julius Coles, Africare Helene Gayle, CARE Geeta Rao Gupta,

International Center for Research on Women Neal Keny-Guyer, Mercy Corps Lee Hamilton, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Lelei Lelaulu, Counterpart International Lavinia Limon,

Immigration & Refugee Services of America Jo Luck, Heifer International John McCullough, Church World Service Ruth Messinger,

American Jewish World Service

Steve Moseley,

Academy for Educational Development Sarah Newhall, Pact Raymond Offenheiser, Oxfam-America Dan Pellegrom, Pathfinder International Linda Pfeiffer, INMED William Reese,

International Youth Foundation Yolonda Richardson, CEDPA Leonard Rubenstein,

Physicians for Human Rights George Rupp,

International Rescue Committee John Schultz, Christian Children’s Fund Richard Stearns, World Vision

1400 16th St. NW Suite 210 Washington, DC 20036 PHONE: (202) 667-8227 FAX: (202) 667-8236 E-MAIL: [email protected] http://www.interaction.org

Dear Chairman Obey: As you complete work on your 302b allocations for fiscal year 2008, we – the undersigned members of InterAction – understand the tough choices you face. Our community is grateful for your leadership over the years in the fight against global poverty – first as Chairman of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee and now as full committee Chair. As you weigh the difficult tradeoffs, we urge you to prioritize investment in our government's ability to act globally through diplomacy and development. Specifically, we urge you to make allocations that provide $38.6 billion for International Affairs spending for the coming year, independent of and in addition to any FY08 emergency spending. As organizations working throughout the developing world and advocating here at home to fight global poverty and preventable illness, we are convinced that this amount is necessary to adequately fund the essential diplomatic and development arms of our foreign policy apparatus. Our estimate is based on our understanding of conditions abroad and our ability to improve those conditions. We urge you to make the amount available for regular FY08 International Affairs spending as close as possible to $38.6 billion to ensure that critical U.S. diplomatic and development programming can effectively engage the challenges we face in the year ahead. We realize that there are many competing priorities, but the needs are great. Certainly, a level less than the President's request (as scored by CBO) of $36.5 billion would seriously undermine our efforts to fight poverty, reduce conflict and suffering, and build healthy, sustainable societies around the world. We recognize that you understand and appreciate the important contribution of International Affairs funding, which represents only 1.2% of the entire federal budget. Its resources fund tools whose importance to our national wellbeing far exceeds their current percentage of the budget. The work we do through this account fosters opportunity and greater prosperity around the world, supports our broader national security interests, and reinforces our shared commitment to humanitarian values. America’s national security in particular is built on three interconnected pillars – defense, diplomacy and development. Funding allocated to International Affairs provides almost entirely for the second and third of these pillars. It thereby reduces our reliance on the first pillar, defense, and by engaging the underlying drivers of extreme poverty and instability, Printed on recycled paper

Interaction is a membership association of US private voluntary organizations engaged in international humanitarian efforts including relief, development, refugee assistance, environment, population, public policy, and global education.

helping others to help themselves and demonstrating America’s commitment to freedom, prosperity, and peace, it reduces the strain on all three by building a safer and more stable world. Even as the Congress has commendably increased our efforts to fight global poverty, the challenges we face require us to do more. At present, over one billion people lack access to clean water and sanitation; and every 15 seconds a child dies from water-related diseases. Seventy-seven million children, most of whom are girls, do not have the opportunity to attend primary school. Fortunately, we know how to beat these challenges – we know what to do. We have affordable solutions that have been tested and have shown their effectiveness. All we need is the will to fund and implement them. We have invested mightily in our military, and much of the world knows us primarily by our military face. Our diplomatic service and our poverty-fighting foreign assistance and emergency relief programming present a different face, one that we believe has been underfunded. We urge you to provide $38.6 billion for International Affairs spending to adequately fund our diplomacy and international development efforts, so that America can continue to expand our leadership in the fight against extreme poverty and desperation, and the fight for freedom, prosperity and peace. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely,

ActionAid International USA

Africare

Air Serv International

American Jewish World Service

American Red Cross

American Refugee Committee

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America's Development Foundation

African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) USA

Bread for the World

CARE

Catholic Medical Mission Board

Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)

Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA)

Christian Children’s Fund

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee

Concern America

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Concern Worldwide

Congressional Hunger Center

Counterpart International

Episcopal Relief and Development

Ethiopian Community Development Council

Food for the Hungry

Global Health Council

Habitat for Humanity

Heart to Heart International

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Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Heifer International

Help the Afghan Children

Institute for Sustainable Communities

International Center for Research on Women

International Crisis Group

International Medical Corps

International Rescue Committee

International Relief and Development, Inc

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International Youth Foundation

Life for Relief and Development

Lutheran World Relief

MAP International

Medical Care Development

Mercy Corps

Opportunity International

Oxfam America

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Pact

Partners of the Americas

PATH

Pathfinder International

Physicians for Human Rights

Physicians for Peace

Plan USA

Population Action International

ProLiteracy Worldwide

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The Salvation Army World Service Office

RESULTS

Save the Children

Solar Cookers International

Winrock International

Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)

Women's Edge Coalition

World Education

World Hope International

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World Learning

YMCA of the USA

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