Interaction Fy08 Supp Revision Letter Rice Nussle 29feb08

President and CEO Samuel A. Worthington Chair Charles MacCormack, Save the Children Vice Chair Ritu Sharma Fox, Women’s Edge Treasurer Amy Coen, Population Action International

Board of Directors Nancy A. Aossey, International Medical Corps Kenneth Bacon, Refugees International David Beckmann, Bread for the World Carol Bellamy, World Learning Sekyu Chang, Korean American Sharing Movement Julius Coles, Africare Helene D. Gayle, CARE USA Anne Lynam Goddard, Christian Children’s Fund Lee H. Hamilton, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Neal Keny-Guyer, Mercy Corps Elizabeth Latham, US Committee for UNDP Lelei Lelaulu, Counterpart International Jo Luck, Heifer International John McCullough, Church World Service Stephen F. Moseley, Academy for Educational Development Daniel E. Pellegrom, Pathfinder International Linda Pfeiffer, INMED Robert Radtke, Episcopal Relief and Development Yolonda C. Richardson, Centre for Development and Population Activities George Rupp, International Rescue Committee Zainab Salbi, Women for Women International Ron Sconyers, Physicians for Peace Kathy Spahn, Helen Keller International Richard Stearns, World Vision Tsehaye Teferra, Ethiopian Community Development Council Sam Worthington (Ex-Officio)

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February 29, 2008 The Honorable Condoleezza Rice U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, D.C. 20520

The Honorable Jim Nussle Office of Management & Budget 725 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20503

Dear Secretary Rice and Director Nussle: I write on behalf of InterAction’s 165 member organizations, many of which work on the front lines responding to natural and manmade crises around the world. InterAction strongly supports the administration’s pending FY08 supplemental request for funding for UN peacekeepers in Darfur, assistance to South Sudan and P.L. 480 food aid to Africa. We remain deeply concerned, however, that despite some emergency funding in the FY08 omnibus appropriations bill, humanitarian account levels remain inadequate to meet critical needs. We respectfully urge the administration to revise and increase its FY 2008 supplemental request for humanitarian accounts to allow the U.S. to maintain its programs in ongoing emergency areas and respond strongly to the growing needs of displaced Iraqis and those affected by escalating humanitarian crises around the world. The underfunding of these accounts is clear when the current humanitarian account levels are compared to trends in global needs. The Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), for example, has required at least $550 million (including regular and emergency funding) in each of the past four years to respond to emergencies around the world. This year, in the FY08 omnibus, it got $430 million (including emergency funds). The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) is similarly underfunded, due to increased transfers to address resettlement needs. While we know there is a supplemental request pending, that request does not include nearly enough to cover these shortfalls, which have only grown larger with global events since it was released. It is vital that we provide OFDA and PRM with funding to respond to new conflicts in Kenya and Chad, while also ensuring that we are not forced to scale back programs that address ongoing—and equally critical—humanitarian needs in areas like Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Colombia and the Middle

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

East. Without additional resources, our government will be forced to make difficult tradeoffs that will result in needless suffering and lost lives. In addition to adequately funding our government’s own direct disaster and refugee response, the U.S. should be providing critical bilateral assistance to our allies in the Middle East that are struggling to accommodate large numbers of Iraqi refugees. Consistent with legislation recently signed into law, funds are also required to assist Iraqis receiving Special Immigrant Visas and their accompanying family members. When the administration’s FY09 budget was released, our expressions of concern at the low levels requested for the humanitarian accounts were met with assurances that these accounts would get additional funds in a supplemental. The time to begin making good on that pledge is now, particularly since the FY08 supplemental will likely be the only opportunity this year. An updated supplemental appropriations request would clarify the urgent funding needs and help Congress move quickly to address them. We will be issuing our updated estimate of emergency funding needs soon and look forward to sharing it with you and Congress. In the meantime, we welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues in greater detail and we thank you for giving this matter your utmost consideration. Sincerely,

Samuel A. Worthington President and CEO InterAction

cc: The Honorable Henrietta Fore, Acting Administrator, USAID

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