The below letter was sent to all member of the U.S. Congress. A PDF version can be found here.

OPEN LETTER FROM 176 ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BUDGET

September 13, 2013

Dear Senator [Representative],

As organizations working to end poverty and respond to emergencies around the world, we write to urge you to support the Senate’s fiscal year 2014 overall funding level for the International Affairs Budget in order to protect its humanitarian assistance and poverty-focused development accounts throughout all upcoming budget negotiations.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has forged a bipartisan agreement to support strong funding levels for the International Affairs Budget as a whole. This overall level recognizes current fiscal limitations while enabling continued investments that save lives, increase our national security, and spur economic development both at home and around the world. As negotiations move forward, it is critical that funding levels for all poverty-focused development and humanitarian accounts within the International Affairs Budget are restored and protected, reflecting the strength of the topline number.

Key lifesaving programs, including those in health and education, must not be left behind. While we know that our nation’s fiscal house must be put in order, it must be done thoughtfully and comprehensively, with attention to the needs of people living in extreme poverty around the world, while ensuring a bright and secure future for the U.S. The budget decisions you face in the months ahead are of tremendous importance to millions of people around the world and the future of the United States’ security and economic prosperity.

Sequestration has proven itself to be a reckless and self-destructive way of balancing our books and will put the world’s poorest at further risk, put the U.S. on the sidelines in influencing rapidly transforming regions of the world, and signal a decline of U.S. leadership in promoting a more stable and prosperous world. Deficit reduction negotiations provide an opportunity for you to ensure that U.S. leadership remains strong amidst ongoing crises of historic proportions.

Addressing the nation’s deficit by imposing an additional round of severe cuts to the International Affairs Budget – on top of the 20.7% reductions since fiscal year 2010 – is not the answer. At less than 1% of our federal budget, further cuts to poverty-focused assistance will not address our deficit, but they will risk lives and contribute to further destabilization of volatile regions critical to U.S. interests and stymie efforts to give the poor the tools they need to pull themselves out of poverty. These budget cuts could marginalize the U.S. in rapidly transforming regions and signal a dramatic decline of national leadership in promoting a more stable, peaceful and prosperous world.

This year has witnessed crises of historic proportions. Ongoing violence in Syria has resulted in nearly 6 million displaced persons, further destabilizing the Middle East. Conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan and South Sudan, including 1.9 million Darfuris and 220,000 refugees from South Kordofan and Blue Nile seeking safety in South Sudan and Ethiopia. In Mali, nearly half a million people continue to be displaced, and 3.5 million are struggling with malnutrition. Along with the potential for significant natural disasters, these and other crises demonstrate in stark terms the dynamic nature of the world around us and the need for strong and effective diplomatic and development tools.

We cannot betray our nation’s longstanding moral leadership in aiding the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people by scaling back humanitarian assistance as food crises and conflict threaten millions of lives. We cannot afford to curtail critical programs that expand markets for U.S. products and help create American jobs. We cannot turn our backs on the millions of people seeking to democratically choose their own leaders and government institutions. And we cannot risk the prospect of future, expensive military interventions by ignoring problems that can be addressed today.

As you work towards finalizing the budget for fiscal year 2014, we urge you to demonstrate bold leadership by supporting the Senate’s overall funding levels for the International Affairs Budget in order to protect funding for all poverty-focused development and humanitarian accounts included in this budget. We cannot afford further deep cuts that risk lives, compromise America’s moral traditions, and place the country’s strategic interests at risk.

Thank you for your consideration.

1. ACDI/VOCA
2. Action Against Hunger
3. ActionAid USA
4. ADRA International
5. African Medical & Research Foundation
6. Africare
7. All Hands Volunteers
8. Alliance for Children Everywhere
9. Alliance for Peacebuilding
10. The Alliance to End Hunger
11. American Association of University Women (AAUW)
12. American Humanist Association
13. American Jewish World Service
14. American Red Cross International Services
15. American Refugee Committee International
16. Americas Relief Team
17. AME-SADA
18. Amigos de las Americas
19. Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development (AIARD)
20. Baptist World Alliance
21. Basic Education Coalition
22. Bethany Christian Services Global, LLC
23. Better World Campaign
24. The Borgen Project
25. Bread for the World
26. Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
27. CARE USA
28. CBM-US
29. CDA
30. Center for Human Services
31. Center for Women Policy Studies
32. ChildFund
33. Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH)
34. Church World Service
35. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
36. Concern America
37. Concern Worldwide
38. Conference of Major Superiors of Men
39. Congressional Hunger Center
40. Convoy of Hope
41. Counterpart International
42. Creative Learning
43. Dexis Consulting Group
44. EDC
45. Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
46. Enough Project
47. Environmental and Energy Study Institute
48. The Episcopal Church
49. Episcopal Relief & Development
50. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
51. Family Care International
52. FirstWorks International
53. Food for the Hungry
54. Freedom from Hunger
55. Friends of ACTED
56. Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
57. Friends of UNFPA
58. Global Communities
59. Global Links
60. Global Rights: Partners for Justice
61. Global Solutions Action Network
62. Global Washington
63. GlobalGiving
64. GrainPro Inc.
65. Haiti Outreach Ministries
66. Handicap International
67. Hands for Haiti
68. Heartland Alliance International
69. Heifer International
70. Helen Keller International
71. HelpAge USA
72. The House of Charity
73. The Hunger Project
74. IMA World Health
75. INMED Partnerships for Children
76. Institute for Sustainable Communities
77. InterAction
78. International Center for Research on Women
79. International Executive Service Corps
80. International HIV/AIDS Alliance
81. International Housing Coalition
82. International Medical Corps
83. International Medical Health Organization
84. International Orthodox Christian Charities
85. International Relief & Development
86. International Relief Teams
87. International Rescue Committee
88. International Social Service – USA Branch
89. International Youth Foundation
90. IntraHealth International
91. Islamic Relief USA
92. Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
93. John Snow, Inc.
94. Juarez & Associates, Inc. (J&A)
95. Leadership Conference of Women Religious
96. Leonarda’s Home of Hope Inc.
97. Life for Relief and Development
98. Living Water International
99. Lutheran World Relief
100. Management Sciences for Health
101. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
102. Medical Care Development International
103. Medical Teams International
104. MedShare International
105. Mercy Corps
106. Mercy-USA for Aid and Development
107. Millennium Water Alliance
108. Mine Advisory Group (MAG) America
109. Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
110. Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN)
111. National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
112. National Association of Social Workers
113. NCBA CLUSA
114. ONE
115. One Acre Fund
116. Oxfam America
117. Pan American Development Foundation
118. Panagora Group
119. Partnership to Cut Hunger & Poverty in Africa
120. PATH
121. Pathfinder International
122. Pax Christi USA
123. PCI
124. Perkins International
125. Plan International USA
126. Planet Aid
127. Plant With Purpose
128. Population Action International
129. Population Communication
130. Population Services International (PSI)
131. Presbyterian Church (USA)
132. Project C.U.R.E.
133. Public Health Institute
134. Refugees International
135. Relief International
136. The Resolve LRA Crisis Initiative
137. RESULTS
138. ReSurge International
139. Saferworld
140. Salesian Missions
141. Save the Children
142. SBAIC
143. Self Help Africa
144. Sierracare Inc
145. Sojourners
146. Solidarity Center
147. Solimar International
148. Southern Cross Associates
149. Stop Hunger Now
150. Trickle Up
151. U.S. Climate Action Network
152. U.S. Committee on Refugees and Immigrants
153. U.S. Fund for UNICEF
154. Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
155. United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
156. United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
157. United Methodist Committee on Relief
158. United States International Council on Disabilities
159. United to End Genocide
160. WASH Advocates
161. Washington Global Health Alliance
162. Water for South Sudan, Inc.
163. WaterAid
164. Waterlines
165. WellShare International
166. Winrock International
167. Women for Women International
168. Women Thrive Worldwide
169. Women’s Refugee Commission
170. World Concern
171. World Education, Inc.
172. World Food Program USA
173. World Learning
174. World Rehabilitation Fund, Inc.
175. World Renew (CRWRC)
176. World Vision