ONE Thanks Senate for Restoring Lifesaving Funding

Washington,  D.C.-ONE today thanked  the U.S. Senate for restoring funding to save lives, fight disease and increase  economic and educational opportunities for the world’s poorest people.

The Senate today  voted in favor of an amendment to the FY2010 Budget Resolution, introduced by  Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN).  The Kerry-Lugar amendment  restored the funding level requested by President Obama for the international  affairs budget, the portion of the budget that includes America’s global poverty  and disease reduction initiatives.

After the vote on the  Senate floor, David Lane, President and C.E.O. of ONE, made the following  statement:

“ONE thanks the  Senate for passing the Kerry-Lugar amendment and extends our great appreciation to Senators Kerry and Lugar for  their leadership and to President Obama for his budget request.  Today, the  Senate made a smart decision to support effective, affordable programs rather  than shortsightedly cut support for people living in extreme poverty during this  global economic downturn. Helping improve the lives of people who face disease,  hunger and economic stagnation around the world is truly smart power that  increases economic opportunity, improves America’s global standing and  strengthens our security.”

Last week, the Senate  Budget Committee, chaired by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), removed approximately $4  billion from the President’s $53.8 billion international affairs budget request.  These cuts could have jeopardized innovative, successful programs that increase  access to clean water, support  infrastructure and increase access to basic lifesaving medicines and treatments  for HIV/AIDS, malaria and early childhood diseases. These  proposed cuts come at a time when the world’s poorest people are being hit hard  from the economic crisis in the form of falling investment, exports and  remittances.

Thousands of calls  from ONE members flooded the Senate over the last couple days and nearly 10,000  ONE members received text messages today, asking them to call their Senator in  support of the Kerry-Lugar amendment. Both  Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have  also urged the Senate to restore funding to the international affairs budget,  arguing its importance to U.S. security and other interests  (“Army Times: Gates Lobbies For More Funds – For  State,” 3/30/09).

Thanks  to bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress, America’s lifesaving global efforts  have delivered historic results in the last several  years. More than 2 million  people with HIV/AIDS in Africa are receiving basic medicines and beating the  disease thanks to America’s commitment. That number is up from just 50,000 in  2003. Millions more are surviving malaria because of cost-effective investments  in simple bed nets and medicines. Some 34 million more children living in the  world’s poorest regions have been given the chance to go to school for the first  time in recent years, opening the door to productive  futures.