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FAITH-BASED COMMUNITIES ARE THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE CONSTITUENCY.
CONGRESS WANTS TO HEAR OUR STORIES OF SUCCESS
Let Congress know we've got their backs and help them do the right thing for all God's children:
U.S. Senators
U.S. Representatives
A list of U.S. Senators (or their staffs) who tweet
A list of U.S. Representatives (or their staffs) who tweet
U.S. Senators
U.S. Representatives
A list of U.S. Senators (or their staffs) who tweet
A list of U.S. Representatives (or their staffs) who tweet
Key Legislation
Let's make sure to remember (and congratulate!) bipartisan achievements -- Congress has passed significant legislation that advances U.S. interests and strengthens U.S. foreign assistance programs:
The READ Act
African Growth and Opportunity Act
Water for the World Act
Girls Count Act
Electrify Africa Act
Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act
E.N.D. Wildlife Trafficking Act
End Modern Slavery Initiative Act
Global Food Security Act
Yes, they said that!
Foreign assistance has a history of strong bipartisan support
Representative John Boozman (R-AR):
“Serving on the Africa and Global Health Subcommittee, I have seen firsthand the devastation malaria causes the young and the poor. The good news is that this disease is preventable, treatable and curable, but it will take the efforts of countries worldwide to stop this tragedy from continuing, and I am committed to working to make that happen.”
Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs:
“Development assistance is a reflection of our moral imperative to assist others in need, a critical demonstration of American leadership in the world. The work of USAID has inspired other countries to deepen their own international development work and has buttressed American private sector and philanthropic development activities. Consequently, we believe that U.S. global leadership in this area should continue with a budget at or above previously funded levels.”
Former Senators Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Bill Frist (R-TN):
“Americans can be proud that these unprecedented advances would not have happened without our involvement as the largest single donor to global health and working in historic collaboration with the other governments, multilateral institutions, local entities, NGOs, civic groups, faith and business communities, universities and philanthropies...
"Encouraged as we all should be about the successes so far, there remain 6 million children under five who will not reach their fifth birthdays this year, dying mainly from preventable diseases. That is just not acceptable. Without a similar commitment by the U.S. and other international partners in the foreseeable future, we risk squandering the gains of the last twenty-five years and missing the opportunity to go even further in the next twenty-five. We must keep driving the momentum that got global health to this point.”
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:
“I promise you it's going to be a lot harder to recruit someone to anti-American and anti-American terrorism if the United States of America was the reason why they are even alive today.”
“One out of five American jobs are tied to international trade. One in three manufacturing jobs in America are tied to exports. You can't export unless there's people on the other end of the deal to buy it from you…and it begins in many places around the world by ensuring that they are alive, and then to ensure that they have the education they need to develop an economy so their people can become consumers and trade partners with us.”
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA)
“Global poverty is one of the most pressing moral challenges we face today. Yet, it’s more than just a moral problem that billions of people around the world are struggling to survive. It is also in our national security interests that we reduce global poverty. Populations that struggle in extreme poverty are more likely to become mired in destabilizing conflicts, or worse, become havens or recruiting grounds for terrorist organizations. This is an issue that we cannot afford to neglect.”
Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairwoman:
“Foreign aid must be viewed as an investment, not an expense.”
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee:
“The choices are stark – delude ourselves into believing that our military power is enough and the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and our foreign assistance programs are unimportant or a luxury we cannot afford; or spend a mere one percent of our entire federal budget to engage with the world. Senator Graham and I choose the latter course."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-SC), Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman:
“Improving life [in Africa] is a real blow to radical Islamists. You know if you can provide schooling, a health clinic, clean drinking water, that really is a blow to their agenda.”
Sen. Bob Corker, (R-TN), Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman:
“With limited foreign assistance dollars, we need to focus on projects like energy that can be a catalyst for long-term growth throughout the region and reduce poverty...I appreciate the support of my colleagues in the House and Senate and the president for enacting this fiscally responsible approach to sustainable development in Africa.”
Former Governor Mike Huckabee, (R-AR):
“A healthier, less impoverished planet is good for all of us. From an economic standpoint, it allows people to contribute more to the marketplace and lead productive lives. U.S. foreign assistance opens new markets to U.S. goods and services and creates new trading partners and allies.”
Gen. James Mattis, Commander of U.S. Central Command (ret'd):
“If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.”
Robert Gates, Former Secretary of Defense:
"Development is a lot cheaper than sending soldiers."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt:
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
President Harry S. Truman:
“Our program of foreign aid is perhaps the greatest venture in constructive statesmanship that any nation has undertaken. It is an outstanding example of cooperative endeavor for the common good.”
President Dwight D. Eisenhower:
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”
President John F. Kennedy, Jr.:
“Our foreign aid program is not growing in size, it is, on the contrary, smaller now than in previous years. It has had its weaknesses, but we have undertaken to correct them. And the proper way of treating weaknesses is to replace them with strength, not to increase those weaknesses by emasculating essential programs. Dollar for dollar, in or out of government, there is no better form of investment in our national security."
President Lyndon B. Johnson:
"America resolved to lead the world against the destructive power of man's oldest enemies. We declared war on the hunger, the ignorance, the disease, and the hopelessness which breed violence in human affairs.
We knew then that the job would take many years. We knew then that many trials and many disappointments would test our will. But we also knew that, in the long run, a single ray of hope--a school, a road, a hybrid seed, a vaccination--can do more to build the peace and guard America from harm than guns and bombs.
Foreign aid serves our national interest. It expresses our basic humanity. It may not always be popular, but it is right."
President Richard M. Nixon:
"Foreign aid must be viewed as an integral part of our overall effort to achieve a world order of peace and justice."
President Gerald R. Ford:
"Underlying any successful foreign policy is the strength and the credibility of our defense posture. We are strong and we are ready and we intend to remain so. Improvement of relations with adversaries does not mean any relaxation of our national vigilance. On the contrary, it is the firm maintenance of both strength and vigilance that makes possible steady progress toward a safer and a more peaceful world."
President Jimmy Carter:
“Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood."
President Ronald Reagan:
"We are a global power, with global interests and global responsibilities. We can ignore but we cannot escape this basic truth, and any retreat from our responsibilities endangers both our national ideals and our national interests.
All Americans can agree on the fundamental objectives of our foreign policy. We want to promote democracy, because it is right, and because democratic governments are less likely to become involved in wars of aggression. We want a growing world economy where free enterprise works, because that's the kind of world in which men and women will live the best and most materially and, I would submit, spiritually decent lives. And we want to work with our friends and allies to prevent regional conflicts and enhance the security of friendly nations."
President George H. W. Bush:
“But where is it written that we must act as if we do not care, as if we are not moved? Well I am moved. I want a kinder, and gentler nation.”
President Bill Clinton:
“Global poverty is a powder keg that could be ignited by our indifference...We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs."
President George W. Bush:
"For the past eight years, the United States has provided more foreign assistance than at any time in the past half century. We're using this aid to foster sustainable economic growth, and promote good governance, and advance a model of true partnership that gives poor nations a real stake in their own development."
President Barack Obama:
“Foreign Assistance is not an end in itself. The purpose of aid must be to create the conditions where it is no longer needed.”
President Donald Trump:
"The United States continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance, including famine prevention and relief, in South Sudan, Somalia, and northern Nigeria and Yemen. We have invested in better health and opportunity all over the world through programs like PEPFAR, which funds AIDS relief, the President’s Malaria Initiative, the Global Health Security Agenda, the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, and the Women Entrepreneur's Finance Initiative, part of our commitment to empowering women all across the globe."
President Joe Biden:
"When we invest in economic development of countries, we create new markets for our products and reduce the likelihood of instability, violence, and mass migrations. When we strengthen health systems in far reaches of the world, we reduce the risk of future pandemics that could threaten our people and our economy."
“Serving on the Africa and Global Health Subcommittee, I have seen firsthand the devastation malaria causes the young and the poor. The good news is that this disease is preventable, treatable and curable, but it will take the efforts of countries worldwide to stop this tragedy from continuing, and I am committed to working to make that happen.”
Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs:
“Development assistance is a reflection of our moral imperative to assist others in need, a critical demonstration of American leadership in the world. The work of USAID has inspired other countries to deepen their own international development work and has buttressed American private sector and philanthropic development activities. Consequently, we believe that U.S. global leadership in this area should continue with a budget at or above previously funded levels.”
Former Senators Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Bill Frist (R-TN):
“Americans can be proud that these unprecedented advances would not have happened without our involvement as the largest single donor to global health and working in historic collaboration with the other governments, multilateral institutions, local entities, NGOs, civic groups, faith and business communities, universities and philanthropies...
"Encouraged as we all should be about the successes so far, there remain 6 million children under five who will not reach their fifth birthdays this year, dying mainly from preventable diseases. That is just not acceptable. Without a similar commitment by the U.S. and other international partners in the foreseeable future, we risk squandering the gains of the last twenty-five years and missing the opportunity to go even further in the next twenty-five. We must keep driving the momentum that got global health to this point.”
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:
“I promise you it's going to be a lot harder to recruit someone to anti-American and anti-American terrorism if the United States of America was the reason why they are even alive today.”
“One out of five American jobs are tied to international trade. One in three manufacturing jobs in America are tied to exports. You can't export unless there's people on the other end of the deal to buy it from you…and it begins in many places around the world by ensuring that they are alive, and then to ensure that they have the education they need to develop an economy so their people can become consumers and trade partners with us.”
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA)
“Global poverty is one of the most pressing moral challenges we face today. Yet, it’s more than just a moral problem that billions of people around the world are struggling to survive. It is also in our national security interests that we reduce global poverty. Populations that struggle in extreme poverty are more likely to become mired in destabilizing conflicts, or worse, become havens or recruiting grounds for terrorist organizations. This is an issue that we cannot afford to neglect.”
Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairwoman:
“Foreign aid must be viewed as an investment, not an expense.”
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee:
“The choices are stark – delude ourselves into believing that our military power is enough and the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and our foreign assistance programs are unimportant or a luxury we cannot afford; or spend a mere one percent of our entire federal budget to engage with the world. Senator Graham and I choose the latter course."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-SC), Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman:
“Improving life [in Africa] is a real blow to radical Islamists. You know if you can provide schooling, a health clinic, clean drinking water, that really is a blow to their agenda.”
Sen. Bob Corker, (R-TN), Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman:
“With limited foreign assistance dollars, we need to focus on projects like energy that can be a catalyst for long-term growth throughout the region and reduce poverty...I appreciate the support of my colleagues in the House and Senate and the president for enacting this fiscally responsible approach to sustainable development in Africa.”
Former Governor Mike Huckabee, (R-AR):
“A healthier, less impoverished planet is good for all of us. From an economic standpoint, it allows people to contribute more to the marketplace and lead productive lives. U.S. foreign assistance opens new markets to U.S. goods and services and creates new trading partners and allies.”
Gen. James Mattis, Commander of U.S. Central Command (ret'd):
“If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.”
Robert Gates, Former Secretary of Defense:
"Development is a lot cheaper than sending soldiers."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt:
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
President Harry S. Truman:
“Our program of foreign aid is perhaps the greatest venture in constructive statesmanship that any nation has undertaken. It is an outstanding example of cooperative endeavor for the common good.”
President Dwight D. Eisenhower:
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”
President John F. Kennedy, Jr.:
“Our foreign aid program is not growing in size, it is, on the contrary, smaller now than in previous years. It has had its weaknesses, but we have undertaken to correct them. And the proper way of treating weaknesses is to replace them with strength, not to increase those weaknesses by emasculating essential programs. Dollar for dollar, in or out of government, there is no better form of investment in our national security."
President Lyndon B. Johnson:
"America resolved to lead the world against the destructive power of man's oldest enemies. We declared war on the hunger, the ignorance, the disease, and the hopelessness which breed violence in human affairs.
We knew then that the job would take many years. We knew then that many trials and many disappointments would test our will. But we also knew that, in the long run, a single ray of hope--a school, a road, a hybrid seed, a vaccination--can do more to build the peace and guard America from harm than guns and bombs.
Foreign aid serves our national interest. It expresses our basic humanity. It may not always be popular, but it is right."
President Richard M. Nixon:
"Foreign aid must be viewed as an integral part of our overall effort to achieve a world order of peace and justice."
President Gerald R. Ford:
"Underlying any successful foreign policy is the strength and the credibility of our defense posture. We are strong and we are ready and we intend to remain so. Improvement of relations with adversaries does not mean any relaxation of our national vigilance. On the contrary, it is the firm maintenance of both strength and vigilance that makes possible steady progress toward a safer and a more peaceful world."
President Jimmy Carter:
“Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood."
President Ronald Reagan:
"We are a global power, with global interests and global responsibilities. We can ignore but we cannot escape this basic truth, and any retreat from our responsibilities endangers both our national ideals and our national interests.
All Americans can agree on the fundamental objectives of our foreign policy. We want to promote democracy, because it is right, and because democratic governments are less likely to become involved in wars of aggression. We want a growing world economy where free enterprise works, because that's the kind of world in which men and women will live the best and most materially and, I would submit, spiritually decent lives. And we want to work with our friends and allies to prevent regional conflicts and enhance the security of friendly nations."
President George H. W. Bush:
“But where is it written that we must act as if we do not care, as if we are not moved? Well I am moved. I want a kinder, and gentler nation.”
President Bill Clinton:
“Global poverty is a powder keg that could be ignited by our indifference...We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs."
President George W. Bush:
"For the past eight years, the United States has provided more foreign assistance than at any time in the past half century. We're using this aid to foster sustainable economic growth, and promote good governance, and advance a model of true partnership that gives poor nations a real stake in their own development."
President Barack Obama:
“Foreign Assistance is not an end in itself. The purpose of aid must be to create the conditions where it is no longer needed.”
President Donald Trump:
"The United States continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance, including famine prevention and relief, in South Sudan, Somalia, and northern Nigeria and Yemen. We have invested in better health and opportunity all over the world through programs like PEPFAR, which funds AIDS relief, the President’s Malaria Initiative, the Global Health Security Agenda, the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, and the Women Entrepreneur's Finance Initiative, part of our commitment to empowering women all across the globe."
President Joe Biden:
"When we invest in economic development of countries, we create new markets for our products and reduce the likelihood of instability, violence, and mass migrations. When we strengthen health systems in far reaches of the world, we reduce the risk of future pandemics that could threaten our people and our economy."