Bread for the World Lauds Passage of Foreign Relations Authorization Act

Washington, DC, May 26, 2009 – Bread for the World president Rev. David Beckmann praised the House Foreign Affairs Committee for passing the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, or H. R. 2410. The legislation provides funding for the State Department and the Peace Corps for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.  

"Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) and other bipartisan members of the committee deserve credit for passing this bill," said Rev. Beckmann. "It includes significant resources to promote development where it is needed most, and ensures capacity building at the U.S. Agency for International Development.  U.S.  foreign assistance programs that fight hunger and poverty, and create sustainable economic opportunities for poor people all over the world, reflect American values."

Rev. Beckmann, however, stressed that U.S. development assistance must be used more strategically and efficiently.  "In these difficult times, we must maximize the impact of our tax dollars.  To begin that process, we need to create a National Global Development Strategy that coordinates all the various components of our foreign aid," he said.

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Bread for the World (www.bread.org) is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.