ONE Reacts to Obama’s 2016 Budget Proposals to Fight Global Poverty & Disease

WASHINGTON – The ONE Campaign today reacted to President Obama’s budget requests for US foreign assistance programs in fiscal year 2016.

Tom Hart, US Executive Director of ONE, said:

“Overall, we applaud President Obama for submitting a budget that supports global efforts to fight extreme poverty. We are especially grateful for the administration’s commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which saves and protects millions of children around the world from preventable diseases. We are also pleased by the proposed increases for the African Development Fund, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and programs to support maternal, newborn and child health.

We are disappointed, however, to see that the overall amount the US contributes to the global fight against HIV/AIDS is down from last year’s funding levels. We look forward to working with Congress to ensure more funds are directed to the AIDS fight, which is at a global tipping point. We are also concerned by the proposed cut to Feed the Future, a signature Obama Administration initiative that is successfully combating global hunger and promoting food security.

For far less than one percent of the federal budget, American foreign assistance programs represent a tremendous bang for the buck – they save and protect millions of lives around the world, bolster US national security, and open new markets to US goods and services.”