Washington, DC – ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History commended Chairman David Obey and Ranking Member Jerry Lewis of the House Committee on Appropriations today for supporting a historic $2.1 billion increase in poverty-fighting development assistance over last year. The funds were included in the FY2008 State-Foreign Operations spending bill, which passed the full committee yesterday.

The increase applies to child and maternal health programs, basic education, global health programs to fight HIV/AIDS and the expansion of clean water programs, among others. Currently, the U.S. funding level remains well below the amount needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

“Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Lewis demonstrated tremendous leadership in the fight against global disease and extreme poverty while guiding the Foreign Operations spending bill through committee this week,” said Susan McCue, President & CEO of the ONE Campaign. “This bill funds responsible and effective solutions such as child and maternal health programs and the Global Fund, which have a proven track record of saving lives. The need is urgent and ONE encourages Congressional leaders to bring the bill to the floor for a full vote immediately.”

Last fiscal year, Congress supported a $1.45 billion increase in poverty-fighting development assistance over the previous year after hundreds of thousands of ONE members wrote letters to their Congressional representatives. This year’s even larger increase builds on that momentum.

Highlights from the bill:

Global HIV/AIDS and Other Global Health Priorities

• $6.519 billion for global health programs, including HIV/AIDS.
• $550 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. President Bush requested no funding for the Global Fund in the State and Foreign Operations      Appropriations bill.
• A major increase for the Child Survival and Health Programs account, which is $393 million above the President’s request.
• Increased resources for health programs  including combating XDR-TB (Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis), malaria and maternal and child health.

Improving Aid Effectiveness and Strengthening Development Assistance

• A major increase for the Development Assistance account for a total of $1.734 billion, which is $692 million above the President’s request. This will fund an initiative on basic education for developing countries as well as an expansion of safe water and environmental programs.

o   $750 million for basic education

o   $300 million for improving access to clean water