Washington, DC — Sheila Nix, U.S. Executive Director of The ONE Campaign, today issued the following statement regarding the House Budget Committee’s FY13 Budget Resolution:

“ONE is deeply concerned about the more than 10% cut to international affairs proposed by House Budget Committee Chair Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wisconsin), which would dramatically impact health and development progress in the poorest parts of the world.  At a time when the U.S. military is winding down the number of boots on the ground, having strong diplomatic and development tools in place is more important than ever.

“The proposed cuts would put a real strain on the cost-effective, proven programs that fight HIV/AIDS, hunger and preventable disease.  All for less than 1% of the U.S. federal budget, these funds effectively stretch American international engagement and are key to bolstering stability in the developing world, which strengthens our own national security interests.

“Cuts to global health, food security and other life-saving development programs would achieve only symbolic savings, but have a profound impact on human lives and dignity. In these tough economic times, we must assess our priorities carefully. America’s leadership in the world is best demonstrated and strengthened through our assistance to the most vulnerable people.”

“To help underscore this point, ONE recently launched an Interactive Tax Tool at http://act.one.org/go/tax_toolas part of a broader campaign urging Congress to oppose cuts to U.S. foreign assistance.  The tool visually breaks down a taxpayer’s annual income to determine their approximate contribution to the foreign assistance budget, as well as how it compares to other categories of U.S. spending, such as national defense, social security, health, unemployment, Medicare and interest of U.S. debt.  Time and again, research has shown us that when people see how much good is being done for so little, their opinions on foreign assistance change.”