Great News from The ONE Campaign

Great news today. The 2011 US budget that passed Congress last night preserves nearly all funding for key programs fighting poverty in the developing world.

The threat of Congress severely cutting these programs was very real.  In fact, the budget that's currently on its way to the President's desk for his signature makes some of the most significant cuts to the federal government in U.S. history. 

But ONE, Bread for the World, Oxfam and other organizations  campaigned hard to make sure Congress prioritized programs that save lives, and now programs that fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and hunger will maintain full funding.

Here’s a breakdown from ONE on how important programs fared in the FY11 budget:

1.- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria– no cut, funded at $1.05 billion
2.- The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — no cut, funded at $4.6 billion
3.- Feed the Future Initiative (agriculture) (bilateral) — no cut, funded at about $813 million
4.- Feed the Future Initiative (agriculture) (multilateral) — received $100 million appropriation for the first time
5.- Development Assistance — no cut, at FY10 level of $2.5 billion (contains ag, ed, microfinance, water, etc)
6.- GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization)– hard to determine, but most likely to be flat at $78 million, perhaps better
7.- World Bank IDA — no cut, at $1.235 billion

But the battle is not over.  Here's what ONE says about the next budget cycle.

We anticipate that the 2012 budget fight could be even more intense that this year’s, and there’s no doubt we’ll once again need ONE members to step up to the plate and advocate for these important programs that are saving millions of live in the developing world. Stay tuned to the ONE Blog for further analysis and breaking news.