Getting Our (Global Poverty) Act Together
Great Falls Tribune
July 12, 2008
As our food prices rise (as well as fuel), most of us are undoubtedly examining not only how much we spend on food but also how efficiently our food dollars work for our family’s nutrition. Right now we have a unique opportunity as a nation to make our existing foreign assistance programs work BETTER in addressing the needs of poor and hungry people in the world. The Global Poverty Act (HR 1302) would do just that. But we need to act fast. We also need the help of our Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester to cosponsor and advocate for the bill.
The bill already passed the House last September with 84 bipartisan cosponsors. It passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this year. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the price tag as less than $1 million for clarity, coordination, and accountability. Now we have only 2-3 weeks of working time in Congress to pass a bipartisan bill that makes very good sense.
The Global Poverty Act does not establish any new programs. Instead it requires President Bush to develop and implement a coordinated strategy. Imagine! – according to Bread for the World, US global development policies and programs are spread across 12 departments, 25 agencies, and almost 60 government offices. We can and must do better than that. Let’s get this bill passed to help meet the goal of cutting in half by 2015 the number of people who live on less than $1 a day.
Mary Kaye Nealen
Great Falls, MT
