Protecting the International Affairs Budget

For the United States to help the world’s poor to the extent it has, the government needs to protect the International Affairs Budget (IAB). Although it is only 1% of the US federal budget, its impact is significant. The IAB is the part of the federal budget that supports US diplomacy and development initiatives, which include efforts to help the world’s poor. Given its importance, the funding should not be at risk. But it is. The current Administration has proposed a 22 percent cut for FY2021. We cannot let that happen.

Helping the world’s poor is not just goodwill; it’s a wise investment. Though there’s much more work to be done, efforts to help the world’s poor have been working, and the plight of the world’s poor affects the US economy and national security.

Working with the international community, the US has seen significant progress in recent years. According to the World Bank, in 2015 the percentage of the global population living in extreme poverty fell below 10 percent for the first time. That year 702 million people lived in extreme poverty, down from 902 million just three years before. And according to the United Nations, in 2015 10% of the world’s population lived at or below $1.90 a day, down from 36% in 1990. Overall, global poverty rates had been cut by more than half since 1990.

In addition to the fact that efforts have been working, we should keep funding efforts to help the world’s poor because their condition affects the US economy and national security. With the help of the US and other nations, poor people soon have money to spend as they move out of poverty. That benefits the US which sells goods abroad. Over 45 percent of all US exports now go to developing countries. Corporate leaders recognize this. In May 2017, 200 major companies sent a letter to Congress urging the government to protect the International Affairs Budget, pointing out that 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States and many of the fastest growing economies are in the developing world. The return on investment for America supporting the poor abroad includes more production and jobs at home.

It’s also important to have stable regions abroad, and funds from the International Affairs Budget contribute to that. Many national security experts agree. The Pentagon’s 3D’s for protecting the United States are Defense, Development, and Diplomacy. Funding for development and diplomacy are just as important as funding for military gear. Stability abroad is in our nation’s interest. Poverty may not make terrorists, but it certainly makes an unstable environment that terrorists like.

Please urge Congress to protect the International Affairs Budget. It’s not only for goodness sake. It’s in America’s best interest.