Food keeps children in school!

"As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality exists in our world, none of us can rest!"  Nelson Mandela said “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.”

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, that is the sound of a child dying…every five seconds a child dies due to poverty! And usually that child hasn’t even reached the age of five!

I was born in Niger and I grew up in Niger. I have seen many hungry and thirsty children during my childhood. My grandparents lived in an oasis in the Sahara Desert and I used to walk five times a day to fetch water.  I have witnessed children, women, and men who had no access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food.  I have witnesses devastating poverty and I saw starvation and hunger up close. 

This fall the U.S. House of Representatives advanced a bill that would slash foreign aid by 31 percent! Please take action which can help hungry children and families around the world. Tell congress not to slash the foreign aid budget. Just over 1 percent of the US budget goes to foreign aid. 

 Please, urge the Congressmen to support the international programs that fight global hunger in the fiscal year 2012 budget, to urge them to create a circle of protection around programs for hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world. 

We want to urge the Congressmen to support Senate Level-funding of foreign assistance accounts in 2012, especially for programs like “Feed the Future” and emergency aid.

A Response from Johnny Isakson

Dear Mrs. Ferdjani: 

Thank you for contacting me regarding the federal funding for international affairs. I appreciate hearing from you and appreciate the opportunity to respond.  I traveled to West Africa in May, 2011, and visited Benin.  I had several productive meetings with government officials, including President Yayi.  It is a beautiful place, and I am thankful for hospitality I was shown there. 

Throughout my service in the U.S. Senate, I have consistently supported effective federal funding for meritorious international programs that strengthen our national security, foster economic and political stability globally, bolster our allies, and fight the spread of disease, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. On December 7, 2009, I joined 57 of my Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Obama requesting that his FY2011 budget proposal include funding for international affairs. On July 29, 2010, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved S.3676, the FY2011 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. This legislation would provide more than $54 billion, which is about $2 billion less than President Obama requested for FY2011, but over $5 billion more than the FY2010 enacted funding level. S.3676 expired at the conclusion of the 111th Congress and it will have to be reintroduced during the current 112th Congress. 

On April 14, 2011, I voted for H.R. 1473, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011. This compromise legislation provides $48.3 billion for international affairs, which is an 11 percent decrease from the Fiscal Year 2010 level. H.R. 1473 passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and it was signed into law by President Obama on April 15, 2011. 

While I understand the importance of international assistance programs, I also am very aware that the federal government must be a better steward of your tax dollars. With the increasing deficits and ballooning national debt, every federal program must be scrutinized for wasteful spending. As we discuss the budget for Fiscal Year 2012, I will work to ensure that the United States invests in only the most effective programs, both domestically and abroad. I will work with my colleagues on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to shape a fiscally responsible international assistance budget. Rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as I work on issues related to foreign assistance. 

Thank you again for contacting me. Please visit my webpage at http://isakson.senate.gov/ for more information on the issues important to you and to sign up for my e-newsletter.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson
United States Senator

For future correspondence with my office, please visit my web site at http://isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm. You can also click here to sign up for the eNewsletter