Entries related to "Appropriations"

You Did It! 98 Representatives Signed the FY11 Global Fund Letter to Obama!

Congratulations! In a little over a week, RESULTS rallied to get 98 representatives — more than 20 percent of the House — to sign a letter initiated by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) to President Obama, calling on him to provide $1.75 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in his fiscal year 2011 budget. The power of your collective action has impressed members of Congress and other advocacy organizations, none of whom were expecting such an amazing list. With so many signers, the letter will also impress the administration as well.

Update on FY11 Appropriations

The 2011 fiscal year (FY11) started October 1, but the House and Senate could not come to agreement on a budget. As a stop-gap measure, they passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) until December 3 in order to continuing funding the government. Last week, before the expiration of the December 3 CR, a new CR was passed to fund the government until December 18. What happens now?

Funding Cuts to the Funding Committee: Changes to House Appropriations

There will be less power and thus less angling to join the House Appropriations Committee in the new 112th Congress. The Appropriations Committee controls all spending, and it used to be said that there were Republicans, Democrats, and Appropriators, a statement about the power of appropriators and their bipartisanship work.

Cuts That Kill: The Senate Must Restore Global Health Funding

From Joanne's Huffington Post Blog Last week Congress approved a two-week extension of federal funding to avoid a looming government shutdown. The vote postpones -- but does not resolve -- potentially devastating cuts to global health programs. The House-proposed bill for the balance of 2011 proposes deep cuts to some of the most effective investments the US makes globally, including a drastic 40 percent reduction for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In a recent interview Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter and advisor to President George W. Bush, called the cuts "irrelevant and destructive." He's right on both counts, and there's still time for Congress to reverse course. The cuts are irrelevant to the deficit problem that members of Congress are ostensibly trying to solve. Our entire foreign aid portfolio amounts to little more than a rounding error in the federal budget. Foreign aid focused on health, education, economic opportunity, and other anti-poverty programs account for less than 1 percent of federal spending. Even if Americans believed that erasing these programs was a good idea -- and they don't, as public opinion polls consistently reveal -- it wouldn't put a dent in the deficit. These cuts are destructive because they would be measured in human lives.

FY2012 Appropriations Roundup

During a difficult appropriations year, RESULTS grassroots activists worked hard to maintain U.S. funding levels for poverty-focused foreign aid for global health, education, and microfinance, along with Head Start and child care. Check here to see final appropriations numbers for fiscal year 2012.

March Madness Update - Sign On Letters for TB, Global Fund, Child Survival, and Jeff Sachs

It's time for a March Madness Recap! This month has been busy with action taking to get members of Congress to sign on to "Dear Colleague" letters in support of RESULTS global health appropriations asks. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) led a letter in support of full funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, and we had a bi-partisan letter from Rep. Young (R-AL) and Rep. Engel (D-NJ) requesting support for bilateral TB-funding. Another bi-partisan letter is still circulating (it closes March 20!!) to support robust funding for the Maternal and Child Health account, including support for GAVI. Take the action today to get your member of Congress on the letter! (Updated March 26)

MCH letter closes with 11 signers, Basic Education letter still open!

Last week was an important deadline for appropriations requests in the Senate. Thanks so much to the Global RESULTS activists that worked quickly to get members to sign on to two Dear Colleague letters to appropriators to support robust funding for issues of global poverty.