Peace Corps Online: July 24, 2003 - Bradenton Herald: House Bill passes with $314 M for Peace Corps for FY 2004

July 24, 2003 - Bradenton Herald: House Bill passes with $314 M for Peace Corps for FY 2004

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Headlines: Peace Corps Headlines - 2003: July 2003 Peace Corps Headlines: July 24, 2003 - Bradenton Herald: House Bill passes with $314 M for Peace Corps for FY 2004

By Admin1 (admin) on Thursday, July 24, 2003 - 8:50 am: Edit Post

House Bill passes with $314 M for Peace Corps for FY 2004

Read and comment on this story from the Bradenton Herald that after a full day of debate, the House passed a $17.1 billion foreign aid bill at 141 am on July 24 that included an appropriation $314 million for the Peace Corps, $45 million below President Bush's request of $359 million for FY 2004. The administration expressed concern that this would make it difficult to meet its goal of doubling the number of volunteers to 14,000 by 2007.

The Senate has not yet taken up the bill but on July 17, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2004 foreign operations appropriations bill that would fund the Peace Corps at $310 million, which is $49 million below the President's request. The Committee also provided authority to transfer $20 million from the Global AIDS Initiative to the Peace Corps for HIV/AIDS activities. That would bring the total for the Peace Corps to $330 million. This amount is still $29 million below the President's request of $359 million for the Peace Corps in FY2004.

We urge all Peace Corps alumni and friends to contact their Senators today and ask that they support the full appropriation of $359 million for the Peace Corps that the President has requested. Read the story below with information on how to contact your Senators at:

House Approves $17.1B Foreign Aid Measure*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.

House Approves $17.1B Foreign Aid Measure
JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The House on Thursday approved a $17.1 billion foreign aid bill including two new initiatives by President Bush to fight AIDS in Africa and poverty around the world. Democratic critics said the AIDS money was short of what was promised and needed.

The legislation passed, 370-50, after the House rejected an attempt to add Saudi Arabia to five other nations - all on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism - that are ineligible for U.S. aid.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., argued that, like Cuba, Syria, Libya, North Korea and Iran, Saudi Arabia has funded terrorists and fostered hatred of the West. But the State Department warned that his amendment, while affecting only $105,000 in military training aid, would severely undermine counter-terrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia. It was defeated, 231-191.

The spending bill includes $1.43 billion for HIV/AIDS, the first installment of a five-year $15 billion plan to combat the AIDS pandemic in Africa and the Caribbean. It also has $800 million for the Millennium Challenge Account, a plan to target assistance to those countries striving to carry out economic and political reform.

Bush championed both in his State of the Union address in January.

Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., chair of the Appropriations Committee foreign operations panel, said the initiatives were "the most innovative programs we have seen in decades" responding to the problems of persistent poverty and AIDS.

An additional $644 million for global AIDS program in another spending bill for the budget year starting on Oct. 1 brings total spending to more than $2 billion, some $500 more than this budget year. Democrats pressed hard, but with no success, to move that figure closer to the $3 billion a year allowed under the $15 billion program, reminding Republicans that Bush had hailed the $15 billion program during his recent trip to Africa.

"Africa is now at the epicenter of the greatest catastrophe in recorded human history," said Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., noting that Africa accounts for 18 million of the 25 million around the world who have died from AIDS.

Kolbe argued that $2 billion was sufficient to get the program off the ground and that both the White House and Congress were committed to meeting the $15 billion goal. The president asked for $2 billion in his budget request.

The House cut $500 million from the $1.3 billion White House request for the Millennium Challenge Account - again because the new program wasn't ready for full funding. The White House warned that further cuts would subject the bill to a presidential veto.

Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick, D-Mich., proposed moving $300 million from that program to AIDS relief, arguing that few African countries could qualify for the Millennium program. Her amendment was defeated, 228-192.

The bill was $1.8 billion under the president's request for foreign assistance in 2004, reflecting the budget restraints Congress is under this year. The current year budget is $16.2 billion.

It includes nearly $2.7 billion in military and economic aid for Israel, $1.9 billion for Egypt and $456 million for Jordan.

There's no money included for reconstruction in Iraq, and lawmakers agreed that the administration will have to come back with an emergency spending bill for Iraq.

The bill meets the president's request for $731 million for the Andean Counterdrug Initiative, $576 million for the states of the former Soviet Union and $962 million for the World Bank Group.

The administration said it was disappointed that the House bill failed to provide $300 million in debt relief for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also expressed concern that the $314 million for the Peace Corps, $45 million below the request, would make it difficult to meet its goal of doubling the number of volunteers to 14,000 by 2007.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a $18.1 billion foreign aid bill, including $1 billion for the Millennium Challenge Account, but the full Senate has yet to take up the legislation.

---

The bill is H.R. 2800

On the Net:

Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov.

July 21, 2003 - Disaster ahead for FY 2004 Peace Corps Budget

Read and comment on this email from the NPCA Advocacy Listserv we published on July 21, 2003 that the Peace Corps is facing the strong possibility of a funding disaster in Fiscal Year 2004.

On July 16, the House Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2004 foreign operations appropriations bill that would fund the Peace Corps at $314 million. This is $45 million below the President's request of $359 million for FY2004.

On July 17, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2004 foreign operations appropriations bill that would fund the Peace Corps at $310 million, which is $49 million below the President's request. The Committee also provided authority to transfer $20 million from the Global AIDS Initiative to the Peace Corps for HIV/AIDS activities. That would bring the total for the Peace Corps to $330 million. This amount is still $29 million below the President's request of $359 million for the Peace Corps in FY2004.

We urge all Peace Corps alumni and friends to contact their Members of Congress today. Click the link below to get contact information for your Senators and Representative:

Contact Information for your Senator or Representative

Read the story below on what you should say to your Representatives in Congress below at:

Disaster for FY 2004 Peace Corps Budget*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.

Disaster for FY 2004 Peace Corps Budget

We are facing the strong possibility of a funding disaster for the Peace Corps in Fiscal Year 2004. We urge all Peace Corps alumni and friends to contact their Members of Congress today.

BACKGROUND:
1) President Bush has asked Congress for $359 million to fund the Peace Corps for Fiscal Year 2004, which runs from October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004.

2) The Peace Corps receives its funding through the annual foreign operations appropriations bill. That bill also funds many other foreign assistance programs. The Appropriations Committees of both the House and the Senate have approved FY 2004 foreign operations appropriations bills at levels well below the President's request.

3) On July 16, the House Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2004 foreign operations appropriations bill that would fund the Peace Corps at $314 million. This is $45 million below the President's request of $359 million for FY2004.

***The bill now goes to the floor of the House. The full House of Representatives is scheduled to consider the bill this week. All the members of the House, including your Representative, will have a vote.

4) On July 17, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2004 foreign operations appropriations bill that would fund the Peace Corps at $310 million, which is $49 million below the President's request. The Committee also provided authority to transfer $20 million from the Global AIDS Initiative to the Peace Corps for HIV/AIDS activities. That would bring the total for the Peace Corps to $330 million. This amount is still $29 million below the President's request of $359 million for the Peace Corps in FY2004.

***The next step for this bill is the floor of the Senate. We expect the Senate to take up the bill soon. All members of the Senate, including your two Senators, will have a vote.

Call Now - Here is what to say

ACTION NEEDED NOW: Please phone your Representative and both of your Senators immediately. If you cannot telephone, send e-mails or faxes.

Tell them that you are a constituent and explain your connection to the Peace Corps (returned Peace Corps volunteer, former Peace Corps staff, Peace Corps parent, friend, etc.)

Say that you are aware that they are about to vote on the Fiscal Year 2004 foreign operations appropriations bill.

Ask them to support President Bush's request for $359 million for the Peace Corps in FY2004.

Say that you support the President's initiative, announced in his 2002 State of the Union speech, to double the number of Peace Corps volunteers within five years. If that goal is to be met, it is crucial to achieve full funding of the President's FY2004 budget request for the Peace Corps.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov

Senate: http://www.senate.gov

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Some have asked us why it is necessary to advocate for an appropriations bill when they have already contacted their Members of Congress about the Peace Corps charter bill. The two bills accomplish different purposes. The Peace Corps charter bill is an authorization bill. Authorization bills establish or continue government programs and determine policies for them. They also recommend spending levels, but these levels are not binding.

Appropriations bills provide funds for authorized programs. The Peace Corps receives its funding through the annual foreign operations appropriations bill, which also funds most other foreign assistance. More information about the appropriations process is available in the Spring 2003 NPCA Advocacy Training Manual at http://www.rpcv.org/pages/sitepage.cfm?id=735

Click on a link below for more stories on PCOL

7/23/03

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Disaster ahead for Bush's PC Expansion Budget

President Bush has asked for $359M for FY 2004 to support his plan for Peace Corps expansion. Congress is getting ready to cut up to $45M from his request. Here's what you can do.

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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Congress; Legislation; Appropriations

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