Interfaith Leaders Lobby to Preserve Foreign Aid

 “Please don’t get lost in the arguments and the numbers. Think about what’s important to you, and what you want to say, and why this funding matters to people you know, to members of your church, and speak from the heart.”  -Martin Shupack, director of advocacy at Church World Service

For 400 Bread grassroots advocates, Lobby Day occurred this past June 13. The ask was multi-pronged: 1) Oppose any budget cuts that would increase hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world; 2) Fully fund domestic safety-net and international development programs that end hunger and poverty; 3) Oppose harmful structural changes to SNAP, Medicaid, and international development assistance.

Photo: Ari Shaw/Bread for the World

A month later,  a much smaller group of faith-based advocates came to Washington for a two-day fly-in sponsored by the  Interfaith Working Group on Foreign Assistance. Since 2013, the IWGFA has focused on sustaining and increasing US public funding for poverty focused development assistance.

On July 19, 35 faith leaders from 19 states visited Capitol Hill to visit congressional offices to urge their representatives and senators to preserve funding for U.S. foreign assistance programs. "They shared their stories and faith-inspired convictions for why it is important for the U.S. government to maintain its funding support for humanitarian relief and development assistance," said the ELCA blog.

The group included pastors and religious leaders from many faith communities. The timing of the visit was important, as Congress is about to make important decisions on the 2018 budget, amid proposals of deep cuts to foreign aid programs..

The faith leaders who visited Capitol Hill on that day had access to the knowledge and resources of Bread for the World, Church World Service, Oxfam, Food for the Hungry,  and Islamic Relief.  Read full account  of the IWGFA visit in Bread for the World newsletter.

“Faith communities share a common religious call to respond to poverty, hunger, sickness, disasters and displacement,” Lucas Koach, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for Food for the Hungry, said following a similar lobbying effort in 2016. “Our faith traditions and scriptures also testify to the moral imperative of a robust government role in caring for and empowering the impoverished and vulnerable,”  

Lori Walke, Associate Pastor of Mayflower United Church of Christ in Oklahoma City, shared her impressions of the 2016 lobbying effort in the newsletter of the UCC Kansas-Oklahoma conference. "Life-saving foreign aid has never been more critical.  We, the faith community and our government, have the resources to enact the Gospel of Matthew’s notes: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.  I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:35-36)

Gayle Smith Urges You to Help Preserve International Affairs Budget

So far this year, ONE has been fighting hard to make sure the foreign aid budget is fully funded next year. And largely because ONE members across the country are raising their voices, we’re winning. And that’s why ONE’s CEO Gayle Smith has a favor to ask of you:



So as we enter August, ONE needs you to pick up the phone, call your senators, and tell them how important it is to fully fund the international affairs budget. Elected officials are going to start making key decisions about the budget, so it’s more critical than ever that they hear from you.  ONE has set up a toll-free number for you to contact your senators 1-888-453-3211.  Follow this link for more information.

'We Pray that Their Hearts be Moved to Act According to Your Will'

Judy Traeger, Jim Lozito, Father Charles, Carlos Navarro, Molly Lannon

On Sunday, July 23, we blessed the more than 120 letters that parishioners at St. John XXIII Catholic Community wrote the previous weekend during our Offering of Letters. Sixty one paper plate messages that children wrote in Vacation Bible School were also blessed.

The blessing took place both at the 9:00 a.m. Mass (where our pastor Rev. Ark Biczak presided) and at the 11:30 a.m. Mass (where sacramental assistant Rev. Charles Dougherty, CP, presided).

The letters were blessed with the special prayer that Bread for the World wrote for this year's Offering of Letters, is focused on urging members of Congress to make funding decisions that put our country and the world on track toward ending hunger.

Holy God, we give thanks that all good things come from you. You created us in your image, and invite us to share our love for you with one another. In a world where too many children go without food and where communities are torn apart by inequality and violence, we give thanks that your power is ever lasting. We pray that you will empower us to do our part to end hunger—as individuals, as communities, and even as elected officials. We pray for members of Congress who will receive letters asking them to make funding decisions that put us on track toward ending hunger by 2030. We pray that their hearts will be moved to act in accordance with your will. Help us to speak out when we see injustice, to answer the call when there is need, to be a blessing for the world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Donate, Fast, Pray, Advocate for Humanitarian Assistance

Global Emergency Response Coalition Formed

Years of violent civil war, endless drought and crippling poverty across Africa and Yemen have taken too many lives. Children and families lucky enough to survive today are on the brink of starvation. Enough is enough!  

That’s why eight leading international relief organizations have joined forces to form the Global Emergency Response Coalition. 

Formed in April 2017, the Global Emergency Response Coalition is a lifesaving humanitarian alliance made up of eight of the world’s largest U.S.-based international aid organizations, whose unified goal is to work collectively to deliver relief to millions of children and families in need.

Follow this Link to Donate
( (PepsiCo Foundation and BlackRock have each offered a $1 million matching gift to save the world's hungriest people. That means every dollar you give today will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $2 million).

Your gift will help feed a child or family in these countries: Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda, Yemen, South Sudan

Pray, Fast, Act
In addition to a donation to the humanitarian organizations, there are other options to become involved. The bishops of the Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), along with Bread for the World, invite you to Pray, Fast and Act (Advocate to Congress) for Foreign Assistance and Humanitarian Aid.

Every Friday is a day for prayer, fasting and advocacy for foreign assistance and humanitarian aid.
 
PRAY for an end to extreme poverty and for an end to humanitarian crises, including ongoing famines, around the world.

Dear God, You understand the needs of our broken world. Please guide us to share our time, talent, and wealth to help end extreme poverty, that we may deeply engage in our church's mission of global reconciliation. Amen. -From Lifting Women's Voices: Prayers to Change the World

FAST to raise awareness of the need to respond to human suffering and hunger no matter where it takes place.

Share on social media using #PrayFastAct and @TheEPPN. Post a picture of a dinner place setting with the reason you are fasting this month.

Educate yourself by reading Appropriations for Foreign Assistance from the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations.

(The Friday fast is part of the For Such a Time as This campaign, which also includes a fast on the 21st of every month that upholds people in our country on public assistance. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry explains in this video).

Tell the House Appropriations Committee: #DontCutLives!

Members of the House Appropriations Committee are reviewing State and Foreign Operations Appropriations budget for the coming year.

Thanks to our advocacy, they have pushed back against the most extreme, life-threatening budget cuts – but we need to protect every dollar we can to save lives around the world, including the 30 million facing unprecedented famine.

Send your message right now to committee members and call on them to protect this crucial budget from any cuts, and ensure America’s foreign assistance can continue to be a force for good around the world.

Below is the text of  the message that CARE has put together for you to send.  Follow this link to send the message

Protect the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill

To the members of the House Appropriations Committee,

I am joining with CARE advocates to urge you to protect America's foreign assistance budget, and to call on you to mitigate any cuts to the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill for FY18.

There has never been a more crucial time for our country to reaffirm its commitment to providing assistance and spreading stability around the world through foreign aid. More than 30 million people are currently facing starvation in an unprecedented four potential famines -- and in these devastating conditions, women and girls face the most vulnerability. Already these conditions have caused a cholera outbreak in Yemen, with one person dying nearly every hour on average.

Protecting this spending bill from the Trump Administration's proposed cuts will save millions of lives, not only through immediate relief assistance, but also by continuing to provide maternal health, economic development, education, and so much more.

Foreign aid saves lives -- and right now, it's time to save foreign aid. I call on Congress to protect foreign assistance funding in all budget negotiations and to pass a budget that protects lives, supports our national security and maintains our nation's leadership in the world.

Sincerely,

New Mexicans Urge Senators to Preserve Funding for Foreign Aid

Sen. Udall's aide takes petitions, letters from Kristina Sowar

Through June 28, U2 and Bono had performed at 18 venues as part of the group's Joshua Tree Tour 2017. And everywhere that U2 performed, ONE volunteers were out in force to gather signatures urging the U.S. Senate to save funding for foreign aid programs. People from all 50 states added their signatures to petitions and wrote letters requesting that their senators help preserve "the American legacy to helping those around the world who are in need."

While organizers could have waited until after the last concert to send the request to senators, there was urgency to send the message as soon as possible in order to have an impact on the appropriations process.

Petitions brought to Sen. Heinrich's office

Hundreds of ONE supporters in New Mexico made this request to Sen. Tom Udall and Sen. Martin Heinrich. "President Trump's dangerous budget proposal, which included cuts of nearly 1/3 to foreign aid, would jeopardize progress that America has made in the fight against poverty and disease," said a letter to our two senators and 48 other members of the U.S. Senate.

According to the letter, the reductions proposed in the Trump budget would also cut food aid to those suffering from famine, turn girls away from school, and leave children without critical medication for treatable diseases.

"Foreign aid is not only an essential part of America's legacy, but also a wise security and economic decision," the letter added. 

Sen. Udall is especially important because of his membership in the Senate Appropriations and Foreign Relations committees. Here is a letter that ONE supporters Kristina Sowar and Carlos Navarro brought to Sen. Udall's office on June 26, along with more than 740 signatures from New Mexicans who attended recent U2 concerts in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and other venues.  Below the letter to Sen. Udall is a letter that a ONE supporter wrote to Sen. Heinrich.

The Global Food Security Act is More Important than Ever

Remember that vote by Congress last summer to approve the Global Food Security Act? The measure was passed with strong bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The result of that vote takes on even greater significance with the results of the recent election. The new administration's stance on foreign aid and global poverty are uncertain. There could well be a scaling back in our international commitments. However, the GFSA is the now the law of the land, supported by huge majority of Republicans in both houses of Congress.

Photo: Joe Molieri, Bread for the World

Let me emphasize this again. The GFSA is a very important initiative. The act establishes a comprehensive strategy for the federal government to follow in all its international food-security programs. Special emphasis is placed on development efforts targeted to smallholder farmers, particularly women. It also promotes nutrition among pregnant women and newborns.

Making a Difference
Another important aspect of the GFSA is that the campaign was a collective effort led by Bread for the World. "Bread helped to build a coalition of organizations that supported GFSA, including international development and other faith-based groups. Bread and coalition partners helped educate congressional offices about the importance of GFSA and shore up support for the bill’s passage. Bread for the World and 29 other faith organizations joined InterAction, the alliance of 180 organizations working in developing countries, to present a statement of support for GFSA," Bread said in a brochure outlining the history of the advocacy efforts to approve this important act.

Here are other ways in which Bread for the World made a difference over a couple of years, ahead of the actual votes. (There were three separate votes).

• Bread for the World Institute emerged as a leading voice in the global nutrition movement.
• The Institute’s research made the case for Feed the Future— and for GFSA.
• Bread sent more than 1,000,000 emails urging its activists to contact Congress about GFSA.
• Bread educated its activists on the importance of GFSA and equipped them to advocate.
• Bread staff and activists communicated with key aides in over 100 Congressional offices to get an answer to the question, “Will you co-sponsor the Global Food Security Act?”
• Bread for the World moved 55 House members to co-sponsor the bill (out of 127 co-sponsors) and 7 Senators (out of 15 co-sponsors).
• Bread had significant contact with another 50 eventual co-sponsors.
• On their own and with coalition partners, Bread staff met directly with members of Congress to urge their support.
• As part of a final push, Bread activists called 70 members of Congress who were thought to be inclined to vote against GFSA urging them to vote “yes.”

Vote to End Hunger: The Third-Party Candidates

In a post we published this past week, we examined the platforms of the two major political parties and posted videos from four candidates--two Republicans and two Democrats--about their approach to address hunger and poverty. 

We now want to look at the alternatives. In our two-party system, any political party that offers an alternative to the voters is labeled as "third party." Two of those third-party candidates, Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party, are likely to appear as blips on the electoral radar screen.  Neither is likely to win and perhaps not even appear on the debates. Since media coverage is centered on their role as "spoilers," we wanted to take a look at what each says about the issues, specifically hunger and poverty.

Gary Johnson (Libertarian)

Since the polls show a higher level of preference for Johnson, let's start with him. There has been no direct statement from the former New Mexico governor on how he would address hunger and poverty. And the issues section on his official website makes no direct mention of  those issues. A Libertarian, by definition, is one who wants a reduced role for the government. (The online news site The Street examines how a Johnson presidency would look). Therefore, the approach of Johnson and his running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, would be to grow the economy by emphasizing the private sector, which in turn would lead to job creation. Here is what the Jobs section of the Johnson-Weld site says.

"Governors Johnson and Weld believe that we must allow a regulatory and tax environment that incentivizes fairness. Not one that picks winners and losers. The purpose of government regulation is to protect citizens from bad actors and the harm they might do to health, safety, and property. But regulation should not be used to manipulate the economy, to manage private lives and businesses, or to place unnecessary burdens on those who make our economy work."

There is no mention of helping poor countries in the Foreign Policy and National Defense Section of the official website. There is, however, a mention of non-intervention in the affairs of other nations, but that probably deals with military and political actions. The other important issue is immigration.  This vague declaration sums up the Johnson-Weld philosophy: " Solving immigration problems is not as easy as building a wall or simply offering amnesty."

Jill Stein (Green)

Green Party candidate Jill Stein, in contrast to Johnson, offers a very hands-on approach to ending hunger and poverty in our country. Her Pledge to End Hunger in America contains two key points: creation of environmentally related jobs and support for a plan put forth by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) in October 2015.

Here's what she says on the first proposal.

The best job creation program is a Green New Deal, an emergency transition to a green economy that meets our urgent needs, ecologically and socially. Not only will it reduce the negative impacts of climate change but it will put tens of millions of Americans to work installing solar panels and wind turbines, creating a healthy sustainable food system, building mass transit and inter-city rail roads, and meeting our needs for housing and social services.

And here is her statement on support for the FRAC plan.

The Food Research Action Center re-released their Action Plan to End Hunger today, outlining 7 key areas where action is needed. The Plan includes strengthening the federal SNAP and TANF programs, including raising SNAP (food stamp) benefits to a more realistic level. Stein said she supported free school lunch and breakfast for all American children, eliminating the stigma that reduces participation especially among older children. Dr. Stein also called for making school meals locally sourced, to help jump start healthy sustainable food systems.

Her platform makes no direct mention of foreign aid, but she talks about enacting a " a foreign policy based on diplomacy, international law, and human rights. She also mentions a general proposal to "improve economic and social conditions abroad to reduce the flow of immigrant refugees." For immigrants already in the U.S., she advocates halting deportations for law-abiding immigrants and de-militarizing border crossings throughout North America.

A Couple of Moves in the Direction of Transparency, Integrity and Accountability

Photo: Carlos Navarro

Transparency is a prerequisite for integrity.  And integrity is a necessary tool to ensure accountability. And accountability is a very important aspect in the effort to address hunger and poverty at the global level. These qualities are not necessarily present in legislation that moves through the U.S. Congress or decisions made by other important agencies.

Therefore, we celebrate those occasions when decisions are made to  to ensure full disclosure in our international interactions.  This was the case for a couple of decisions that took place this month.

The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a final rule that will implement Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Here is why this move is important:

The law requires publicly listed oil, gas and mining companies in the US to publicly disclose the payments they make to governments around the world for the extraction of natural resources. That increased transparency will provide critical information to citizens in some of the world’s poorest countries, enabling them to hold their governments accountable for spending that money on things that will improve their lives, like schools and hospitals. The ONE Campaign has more information

The House of Representatives voted final approval of the Foreign Assistance Accountability and Transparency Act. 

According to Bread for the World, this is why this move is significant.
  
The initiative would mandate an evaluation system for all the U.S. government’s international development and humanitarian assistance programs and for some security assistance programs, too. This law will also maintain a recently established website, which gives the public information about U.S. assistance projects. This makes it easier for people in the United States and recipient countries to get involved and help make sure that these projects work effectively. 

Both these moves are a step in the right direction to ensure that our foreign assistance and anti-poverty efforts better serve the needs of the target communities.

More on the Final Push for Passage of Global Food Security Act

The House of Representatives and the Senate each approved a version of the Global Food Security Act. Both H.R.1567 and S.1252  seek to authorize funding for global food security programs and international disaster assistance programs.

For procedural reasons, the House is now being asked to take a second vote, this time considering S.1252. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has already endorsed the Senate version of the bill, so that gives the measure more weight when it comes to the House floor.  The two bills are nearly identical, but there are a couple of differences, listed below. Bread for the World and other global anti-poverty organizations are asking Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Ben Ray Lujan, and Steve Pearce to support S.1252 when it comes to the House floor. Each provides an opportunity for constituents to contact them directly.  Just click on their highlighted names to send a message urging support for S.1252.

• Senate bill offers a strongly desired two-year authorization, rather than a single year authorization as it appears in the House bill. This 2 year authorization of the Senate bill will ensure continuity of effort and congressional oversight well into the next administration. CBO has found that even with a two year authorization, this bill will not increase spending.
•  Senate bill also includes an authorization of appropriations for existing International Disaster Assistance activities, including the Emergency Food Security Program. This is NOT the Food for Peace program. This is the disaster assistance program that is feeding Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon; it is the program that enabled the US to be the first on the ground with life-saving aid in the Philippines and Nepal. It does not replace Food for Peace, it is filling the gaps and is critical to our national security.
•  Senate bill includes an OMB cross-cutting reporting requirement that will provide even greater transparency about the use of foreign assistance funding.

Bread for the World Advocacy Outcomes for 2014

Members of Congress rely on their constituents to keep them informed of issues and concerns in their districts. By writing your members of Congress, you’ve made yourself a valuable source of information. Congressional aides figure you represent others, so your voice becomes amplified. Writing letters gives you voice and power. Taking the time to write tells your members of Congress that you’re serious and that they’re accountable to you.  Exerpt from "Why Write to Congress", in Bread for the World's Take Action page.

Have you ever wondered what impact those letters to Congress, those meetings with congressional aides, those phone calls to Washington and the district office, those tweets, those letters to the editor are having?

The communications staff at Bread for the World put together these illustrations to show the progress against hunger since 1990 and the outcome of the advocacy efforts of grassroots members and staff during 2014 (illustrated in the five graphics below)

Remember those letters you wrote in 2014 urging Congress to reform food-aid programs? Legislators approved a set of reforms, and as a result, 1.5 million more people around the world have been fed.

These results, of course, did not occur in a vacuum. Bread for the World works in a number of coalitions (like the Modernizing Foreign Asissistance Network), and many other organizations and their members contributed to the outcome of the legislative initiatives.

This year, Bread for the World members (in partnership with other nutrition advocates) urged Congress to reauthorize child nutrition programs in our country, through our Feed Our Children campaign. In New Mexico, members of 18 congregations wrote more than 2,000 letters to Congress around this issue. Stay tuned for legislative updates.

Here are the graphics for the advocacy outcomes for 2014.

Food Aid Reform:

Circle of Protection:

Poverty-Focused Development Assistance

Immigration Reform

New USAID Strategy 

New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps Volunteers Lobby for Food Aid Reform

New Mexico OxfamAction Corps on Capitol Hill

Albuquerque residents Kathy Chavez, Amanda Dezan and Juliana Bilowichez were among the dozens of volunteers from Oxfam Action Corps who visited Capitol Hill this week to urge our senators to support Senate Bill 525, the Food for Peace Reform Act of 2015.

The measure would free up frees up as much as $440 million per year to feed up to 12 million more people faster and at a lower cost

Albuquerque is one of 16 cities where Oxfam Action Corps has a presence. Oxfam appointed  Chavez as one of four peer advisors nationally. She will be working with Dezan and  Bilowichez to organize New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps activities in 2015-2016. 

Oxfam America Seeks Community Organizing Volunteers in Albuquerque

Coming together at the Climate Pilgrimage, September 2014

Oxfam America is recruiting volunteer leaders of various ages and professional backgrounds to serve in Albuquerque and 14 other communities in the U.S. in 2015-2016. Those chosen for the program will receive a free  national advocacy training in Washington, D.C., on April 24-28. 

 "It’s a great opportunity for people to take local action on world issues and to collaborate with other local organizations," said Brian Rawson, Senior Advisor, Community Organizing  for Oxfam America  "Applicants should have some prior experience with organizing and a passion for global justice."

Click here to apply by February 1.  For more  information contact Brian Rawson.

Volunteer leader will organize activities and work with other local organizations in support of Oxfam’s GROW campaign for policies that will save lives, defend the rights of women and farmers, and protect communities worldwide from rising food prices and climate change. Online training and information sessions about select issues will be available during the year for leaders and other volunteers in each of the local chapters.

New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps volunteers have also worked closely with the New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light and Bread New Mexico over the past several years. The local Oxfam-Bread  partnership has included joint  advocacy on Food Ad Reform, including lobby visits to local offices of Sen. Martin Heinrich and Sen. Tom Udall. In addition, NM Oxfam Action Corps have made presentations at our Offering of Letters workshop and participated in  our Circle of Protection prayer vigilin 2012.

A Discussion of Food Aid on Central and Second Street

Google Maps tells us the location of Sen. Tom Udall's Albuquerque office

There was a discussion about U.S. food aid policy at 219 Central NW (Suite 210)  in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday, August 12. The participants in this dialogue were two local volunteers for New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps, one for Bread for the World, and a local aide to Sen. Tom Udall (as well as an intern from the senator's Washington office).

Oxfam USA and Bread for the World have both put a strong emphasis on reforming food aid to make the assistance more responsive to the needs of the recipients (as opposed to have a big chunk of the money go to intermediaries). Bread for the World members brought this issue to Capitol Hill in June, while Oxfam Action Corps volunteers have made the request to the House and Senate during visits to Washington the past several springs. Here is a link to the petition drive from 2013.

NM Oxfam on Caiptol Hill, 2014

Urging Sen. Udall to Cosponsor  S2421
So the requests that Jasmine McBeath and Amanda Dezan from New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps and Ellen Buelow from Bread for the World made to Sen. Udall were not much different that those that have been brought to the senator in meetings with his aides in Washington. Xochitl Campos was the staff representative from Sen. Udall's office who met with the three advocates.

Both Bread for the World and Oxfam USA are seeking Senate supporters for  Senate Bill 2421 (Food for Peace Reform), a bipartisan initiative that provides needed flexibility to deliver food aid, making the program more efficient. So this was one of the requests that was presented to Ms. Campos.

Before the meeting, Jasmine (who is a national advisor of Oxfam Action Corps) outlined two other related requests from  from Oxfam Action Corps (two issues that Bread has supported).

• Sen. Udall's support for effective poverty-fighting assistance (including  $1 billion for the Feed the Future program) and 
• His co-sponsorship of the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act [HR 2638 and S1271]. The bill currently has eight Senate cosponsors Republicans Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, Mark Kirk of Illinois, Pat Roberts of Kansas and Democrats Christopher coons of Delaware, Elizabeth Warren of Masschusetts, Benjamin Carder of Maryland, and Jon Tester of Montana. (The House version obtained 47 co-sponsors and passed 390-0 in 2012).

The Aug. 12 meeting (photo: NM Oxfam Action Corps)

Ellen's Report
And Ellen wrote a short report about the meeting which also included one of the senator's interns from the Washington office. Below are some excerpts. (Note: Xochitl Campos replaced the staff member who had originally been assigned to meet with Oxfam. The meeting with Ms. Campos lasted about 10 minutes).

"The intern remembered  our New Mexico delegation that attended Senator Udall’s coffee with constituents on June 10...Jasmine chaired the meeting. Xochitl mainly asked questions about Oxfam and their local causes. I was able to include a personal story working with refugee students from Somalia. Sen, Udall is on the African subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee...My story was about teens who have stunted growth because of malnutrition. I brought up Bread’s agenda on the need for expedient aid and using local resources (build the local economy) 9 million more people could be fed with money now going to shipping companies. Xochitl consistently told us that she would pass the information to staffers in Washington...Oxfam left a folder of their material that will be sent to the DC office. Xochitl did not bring up any concerns. I really enjoyed being with Jasmine and Amanda! Thanks for the opportunity!"

Urge Your Senator to Cosponsor Food-Aid Reform Measure (S2421)

Last week, the House of Representatives took a positive step to reform our government’s food-aid programs and bring hope and help to millions of people in need. The House overwhelmingly approved a vital amendment to provide funding for the USDA Local and Regional Purchase (LRP) program. This would help more people receive U.S. food aid at no additional cost. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.-39), who has been a champion in the House for food-aid reform, led the bipartisan amendment.

Now we have a great opportunity in the Senate. Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) recently introduced a bill that provides needed flexibility to deliver food aid, making the program more efficient.  We need to urge our senators to co-sponsor S. 2421 and help build momentum to pass the bill.

(For those of us who live in New Mexico, here are the numbers for our senators)

• Sen. Tom Udall (202) 224-6621
• Sen. Martin Heinrich, (202) 224-5521 

Senate Bill 2421 would modernize U.S. food aid by:

• Increasing flexibility to deliver food aid in the best way possible. In many cases, that means delivering food purchased in the United States, while in other cases buying food locally would be more effective and timely. In still others, the best way to meet the nutritional needs of hungry people would be through the provision of cash transfers or food vouchers.
• Increasing long-term resilience by ending monetization– the practice of selling food to support development programs, which is incredibly inefficient, often distorts local markets, and can undermine longer-term food-security objectives.
• Increasing efficiency by removing cargo-preference requirements on food aid. Food aid shipped under cargo preference costs taxpayers 46 percent more, on average, than competitively awarded ocean freight shipments. This legislation will save money and provide the flexibility to ship food without anti-competitive restrictions.

Read More in Bread Blog

Lobby Day is More than Just "Lobby Day"

Colorado & New Mexico advocates at Hart Senate Building

Hundreds of congregations around the country wrote about food-aid reform this year, which set the stage for a very important action: a simple vote on agricultural appropriations on Wednesday, June 11. 

Two days before the vote, hundreds of calls were also logged into the congressional offices on Virtual Lobby Day on Monday, June 9, urging our members of Congress to improve our federal programs that provide direct and emergency assistance.  

And on Lobby Day itself, Bread advocates from 34 states and the District of Columbia visited the offices of their elected officials in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate to make the same request. For good measure, I visited the office of Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday morning, June 11, to ask for her support for  the amendment once it came to a vote on the floor.

Award for Rep. Bachus

Amendment Announced at Lobby Day Reception
Bread for the World honored five legislators at a reception at the end of Lobby Day. Three legislators--Rep. Spencer Bachus, a Republican from  Alabama; Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat from  Iowa; and Rep. Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia--were honored with an award that recognized their efforts to address hunger and poverty during their congressional careers. (All three are set  to retire at the end of their current term).

Two other legislators  were also honored at the Lobby Day reception for their work on food-aid reform. Rep. Ed Royce of California and Rep. Eliot Engel of New York. Royce, a Republican is chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Engel, a Democrat, is the minority leader in the same committee.

David Beckmann & Rep. Ed Royce

When Rep. Royce took the podium after receiving an award, he described the strong bipartisan efforts in the committee. And then he made a very important announcement. He was set to introduce an amendment the next day he would sponsor a bipartisan amendment during debate on the House fiscal year 2015 agricultural appropriations bill to to provide funding for the USDA Local and Regional Purchase (LRP) program. This would help more people receive U.S. food aid at no additional cost. The LRP program was reauthorized at $80 million in the in the 2014 farm bill.  The amendment passed!  Read more in the Bread blog.

The amendment was apparently approved via a voice vote, so we have no record on how Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rep. Steve Pearce and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan voted. We met twice with Rep. Lujan Grisham.  On Lobby Day, Larry and Ellen Buelow and I met with one of her legislative assistants to discuss food-aid reform and immigration reform. On Wednesday, with the knowledge that the vote on the amendment was pending, I returned to her office in Cannon House Building to talk to her aide in charge of foreign affairs and urge support for the amendment.  Larry, Ellen and I did not meet with aides to Rep. Pearce and Rep. Lujan on Lobby Day, since none of us is a constituent.  But we dropped off materials about food-aid reform and immigration reform in both offices.

At Sen. Udall's  constituent coffee

And we had two opportunities to bring up food-aid reform to Sen. Udall. On Lobby Day, we met with two of his legislative assistants at Hart Senate building, and on Wednesday morning, Larry, Ellen and I attended the constituent coffee, where we brought the issue up directly to the senator. (And we also spoke about the emerging Interfaith Hunger Coalition in New Mexico). 

The constituent coffees offer great networking opportunities. We were able to make connections with some members of the New Mexico Public Health Association.

On Lobby Day, we also met with a legislative aide at Sen. Martin Heinrich's office, which is also in the Hart Building.

More from the New Mexico Grassroots
As of June 13, New Mexico congregations had written nearly 800 letters to Sen. Udall, Sen. Heinrich, Rep. Lujan Grisham, Rep. Pearce and Rep. Lujan about food-aid reform. One letter-writer, Kirsten Marr, at First Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, took time to write additional letters to key legislators. One of those letters went to Rep. Royce and the other to Rep. Frank Lucas, chair of the House Agriculture Committee.  Kirsten was in charge of organizing the letter-writing efforts at First Presbyterian Church (which held its inaugural Offering of Letters this year!)

And there was also  good participation from folks in New Mexico on Virtual Lobby Day. I want to thank Lynette Rose, Bro. Jim Brown, Chris Spahn, Javier Aceves, Karla Ice, Art Meyer, Kathy Freeze, Ivan Westergaard, Pat Sheely, and Lucretia Tippit for making calls and/or keeping us in their prayers. (A number of those calls went to Rep. Ben Ray Lujan!)

Senator Smith Hears from Lutheran Church in Albuquerque About Reforming Food Aid

Who is Senator Smith, and why is she hearing from members of All Saints Lutheran Church in Albuquerque? Wait a minute. Aren't the last names off our senators from New Mexico Udall and Heinrich, and aren't they both men?

Let's forget the realities for a while and pretend that Senator Smith is representing us in Congress.

Below is the dialogue that Lucretia Tippit, Diana Lewis and their OL organizing committee created this year to explain food-aid reform to the congregation. (Skits are a great vehicle to explain a topic of an OL to a congregation. Click here to seen of what the folks at All Saints Lutheran did in 2012).

[Some of the pictures we used in this post are from Lobby Day in Washington on June 10, which Larry and Ellen Buelow and Carlos Navarro attended. The Buelows hand-delivered letters from Holy Rosary Catholic Community in Albuquerque].

Bread #1: Senator Smith, I’d like to give you this letter, written by a committee from my church, All Saints Lutheran in Albuquerque. Senator: (Takes letter) What’s it about? I don’t have a lot of time to read just now. Important votes are coming up soon in the Senate. Just give me a quick run down on the content.

Bread #2: We’re asking you to strengthen our U.S.food-aid programs by considering some important reforms. Senator: We’ve already appropriated millions of dollars recently for food assistance abroad. You know, Congress is worried about the budget and making needed reductions wherever we can.

Bread #1 We’re not asking you to increase the funding. We just want you to improve the efficiency of the way we deliver aid and insure that the food gets to the people who are really hungry and suffering through no fault of their own.

Rep Michelle.Lujan Grisham's aide holds letters from New Mexico

Bread #2: Especially to women who are pregnant and children through their 2nd birthday—t hose 1000 days—when access to food is so important for mental and physical development.

Senator: Well yes, I’m a mother myself. I know how important good nutrition is. But we can’t feed the whole world. You mentioned some inefficiencies…

Bread #1: A lot of our policies were put in place in the 1950s and it’s time to update and modernize them to meet the needs of a more globalized world. Some simple changes will make our government respond more flexibly and quickly to emergencies and feed more hungry people.

Senator: I’m listening…

Bread #2: Well first, we should allow more food purchases in or near the country where it is needed. This way we can support local farmers’ efforts to improve their lives and the food will reach the people faster.

Senator: That makes sense. Aren’t we already doing that?

Bread #1: No. Mostly we are shipping American grown food stuffs to these countries and often selling it on the open market. This practice depresses food prices in the market and again undermines local farmers who are often women.

Bread #2: When you take into consideration rising food prices and higher transportation costs, our aid is reaching only half as many hungry people as it did when the Food for Peace program began.

Some of the letters from All Saints went to Sen. Tom Udall

Senator: Wait a minute. I’m from an agricultural state. My constituents are having a difficult time right now. I don’t want to vote for anything that would negatively impact the farmers in my state.

Bread #1: These reforms will have very little impact to American farmers. U.S. food aid accounts for less than 1 percent of total U.S. agriculture exports and only 0.56 percent of net farm income. And even with the reforms we’re talking about, the majority of emergency food aid for humanitarian assistance like the earthquake in the Philippines will continue to be used for buying and transporting American commodities.

Bread #2: Following current laws which require that half of food-aid products be shipped on American ships is very inefficient. Sometimes it takes as long as 6 months and costs as much as 60 cents for each dollar spent on food aid.

Senator: I can see my colleagues in the Senate will object to changes in the laws on shipping.

Bread #2: These reforms will impact the U.S. shipping industry minimally, as well. Food aid is a minimal part of the overall volume of cargo shipped on U.S. vessels. We’re talking a little over a million metric tons out of a total of 1 billion tons of cargo shipped.

Senator: Well, so far, I’m following you. What other reforms do you have in mind?

Bread #1: Often the aid we provide in general distributions such as in refugee camps in Sudan and Syria provides energy and calories, but doesn’t provide essential vitamins and minerals. There are new types of specialized food-aid products that have been developed to address this issue.

Letters to Sen. Martin Heinrich

Senator: So you’re saying that without increasing the amount budgeted for food aid and by making some changes in current laws that allow the food to be purchased in or near the countries in question and to increase the nutritional quality of food aid available we can feed more hungry people.

Bread #1: Yes, you’ve summarized it nicely, Senator. Just by making these reforms we can benefit an additional 17 million people. Do we have your support ?

Senator: Well, I’ll certainly consider it when the bills come up for a vote. I, too, am a Christian and believe we need to show compassion for those who are hungry and suffering in this world.

Bread #2: Thank you for your time and your support, Senator. (All shake hands.)

How Coast Guard Reauthorization Measure Coud Hurt Food-Aid Reform Efforts

"US food aid saves millions of lives each year," he added. "Therefore, we urge Congress to reject any actions that increase transportation costs … and prevent hungry people around the world from receiving US food assistance."  -Allan Jury, senior policy adviser at World Food Programme USA

Section 318. That's not necessarily a number we should remember. However, as anti-hunger advocates we should be very concerned about ,the negative impact of this measure, which would reverse a lot of our work that we have done and continue to do via the 2014 Offering of Letters.

Let me explain. Section 318 was an add-on to routine legislation to reauthorize funding for the U.S. Coast Guard. Section 318 quietly restores the proportion of U.S. food aid that must be shipped on U.S. flagships to 75%. The full House approved the full measure to reauthorize the Coast Guard in April, with few legislators noticing that Section 318 was inserted. The increase would roll back the progress made in 2012, when Congress reduced the proportion of food aid required to be shipped on US flagships to 50%.

Photo: Stephen Padre, Bread for the World

Bread for the World, Oxfam and other anti-hunger organizations have obtained broad bipartisan support in efforts\to further reform food aid. That is probably why the U.S. shipping companies, with the support of some labor groups, sought this sneaky method to promote this cargo-preference provision. "Lobbyists in favour of section 318 have not been particularly vocal, though it is clear the shipping industry and certain labour groups have pushed for the change," said The Guardian newspaper via Inter Press Service.

The problem is that the increase to 75% in cargo-preference requirements means that a higher percentage of our country's allocation for emergency food aid will go to pay the shipping companies to carry surplus food to its destination. The shift of expenditures to pay the shipping companies means that as many as 2 million fewer people could be affected by a reduction in the amount of actual food aid. "This absolutely goes against everything Congress and the administration have been trying to do, in terms of being more efficient with government funding," said Ryan Quinn,senior policy analyst at Bread for the World.

Read more from  Carey L. Biron of  Inter Press Service/The Guardian (US food aid U-turn could put 2m people in jeopardy, warn experts), Alyssa Casey of Bread for the World (Food Aid Reforms Endangered), and Michael Helms of Oxfam America (Sailing in the wrong direction: Food aid as a Congressional tool for supporting the shipping industry).

What Next?

Photo: Eva-Lotta Jansson, Oxfam America

The Coast Guard bill goes to the Senate next for consideration. Bread for the World will strongly oppose any final legislation that includes cargo preference restrictions that decrease funding for flexible food-aid programs. The hope is that the Senate will remove Section 318 from a final measure to reauthorize the Coast Guard.

If the measure has not come up to vote by Lobby Day, June 10, then it surely will be an issue raised by Bread members during meeting with US Senators. New Mexico advocates are scheduled to meet with our senators on Tuesday afternoon.  See list of scheduled visits.

Bread  members from around the country also continue to  write to Congress personally and via an Offering of Letters at their congregation.

Pastor Urges Congregation to Participate in Offering of Letters With These Simple Words....

"This morning we have our letter writing campaign for Bread for the World...You can write a letter to your congressman and say 'I support the programs that help people who are [hungry]. And I want my political representatives to do the same.' It's so easy. God doesn't ask you to do what you can't do. God asks you to do what you can."

-Rev. Bob Campbell, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community, Albuquerque (Sermon on Sunday, April 6)

Read More about 2014 Offering of Letters to reform food aid.

(Thanks to Larry Buelow for providing a video of Father Campbell's Sermon).

Oxfam Report Explains Foreign Aid in Simple Terms

On Wednesday, April 6, Oxfam America is planning a big event on Capitol Hill: the release of its updated version of its Foreign Aid 101 report. The report will be released at a reception co-hosted by Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington state, who is also co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance. 

The report is an effort by Oxfam  to dispel the common myths around foreign aid and answer some of the most fundamental questions as to why the US gives foreign aid and how to make it more effective. Oxfam is one the organizations partnering with Bread for the World to reform food aid, which is the subject of our 2014 Offering of Letters.

The third edition of the report, entitled Foreign aid 101: A quick and easy guide to understanding US foreign aid, provides answers by posing five simple questions:

• Why does the US give foreign aid?
• How much does foreign aid cost?
• What is the us doing to make foreign aid more effective?
• How can us foreign aid better fight poverty?
• Why does Oxfam care about foreign aid?

The report is straightforward, well organized and contains very useful information and charts.  Download Foreign aid 101, Third edition
 
One useful feature is a section on Myths and Facts. Here is one example.

Myth: Development aid is just wasted by corrupt governments.
Fact: Foreign aid can push governments to do the right thing. USAID has tools in place to address specific capacity gaps in country systems and minimize the risk of fraud and abuse. Experience shows that US agencies provide assistance in ways that can:

• Serve as an incentive for improved management of public revenues
• Strengthen checks and balances and be a deter rent to corruption
• Assist governments to end aid dependency
• Increase accountability to both local people and taxpayers

Additionally, one US agency, the MCC, works only with the highest-performing governments, based on their performance on a set of indicators, including transparency and anticorruption efforts. Qualifying for MCC funding has created an incentive for some governments to improve, sometimes referred to as the “MCC effect.:"