The Global Leadership Campaign promotes trade and development overseas, the Global AIDS Initiative, the Peace Corps, diplomatic and consular programs and education programs



The Global Leadership Campaign promotes trade and development overseas, the Global AIDS Initiative, the Peace Corps, diplomatic and consular programs and education programs

Strange Bedfellows for International Affairs

By Judy Sarasohn
Thursday, March 3, 2005; Page A23

You can call it the "Strange Bedfellows Coalition," but its name is the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign. The campaign is sending out teams of corporate types and do-gooders today to lobby lawmakers and staffers of the Senate and House budget committees in support of President Bush's budget for international affairs.

The campaign was formed about 10 years ago when the international affairs budget was under attack in Washington. "We wanted to show there was a domestic constituency," said George Ingram, president of the campaign and executive director of the Education Policy and Data Center.

At the center of attention of the coalition of 400 businesses and organizations is what is known as the "150 Account." This is the section of the federal budget that funds U.S. foreign affairs programs, such as promoting trade and development overseas, the Global AIDS Initiative, the Peace Corps, diplomatic and consular programs and education programs. These are programs, campaign leaders say, that will promote national security and economic progress, as well as humanitarian values.

The campaign's lobbying teams are supporting Bush's fiscal 2006 budget request of $33.6 billion for the international affairs programs. "We stay out of the specifics of whether you fund this or that," Ingram said.

Among the participants in today's lobbying effort are representatives of CARE, Bread for the World, Mercy Corps International, the National Audubon Society, the National Peace Corps Association, Caterpillar Inc., the Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin and Motorola Inc.

Bill Lane, vice president of the campaign and Washington director of governmental affairs for Caterpillar, said lawmakers "are befuddled" when they see corporate lobbyists working in tandem with nongovernmental organizations. But Lane and Barbara Larkin, vice president of policy for CARE, say the coalition's members work well together.

"We find we make each other's arguments," said Lane, noting that Caterpillar is arguing for U.S. funds to fight AIDS in Africa.

Larkin added, "The business community helps the NGOs argue that foreign assistance isn't a giveaway; that it's in our interest, as well."

When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in over 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related reference material in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about RPCVs who have your same interests, who served in your Country of Service, or who serve in your state.

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March 1: National Day of Action Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went.

Coates Redmon, Peace Corps Chronicler Coates Redmon, a staffer in Sargent Shriver's Peace Corps, died February 22 in Washington, DC. Her book "Come as You Are" is considered to be one of the finest (and most entertaining) recountings of the birth of the Peace Corps and how it was literally thrown together in a matter of weeks. If you want to know what it felt like to be young and idealistic in the 1960's, get an out-of-print copy. We honor her memory.

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February 26, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Folk-Singer Steve Schuch releases "Trees of Life" 26 Feb Christopher Bartlett maintains Marine Protected Area 25 Feb Joseph Frey uses amputation experience to help others 25 Feb James McCann concerned by maize in Ethiopia 25 Feb Sen. Obama says PC can help improve diplomacy 24 Feb PCVs help remove batteries in Belize 24 Feb Jimmy Carter praises mother's PC service 24 Feb Craig D. Wandke's lunar passion began in Honduras 23 Feb Char Andrews discusses her experience with cancer 23 Feb Beverly Seckinger tells stories through film 23 Feb J. Tyler Dickovick: As Togo goes, so may go Africa 23 Feb Andres Hernandez searches for PCV for 40 years 23 Feb Bulgaria is now like second home to Aaron Wills 22 Feb Bernadette Roberts to serve as diplomat in Albania 22 Feb USA Freedom Corps downgraded at White House 22 Feb Tom Skeldon seeks to control pit bull trade 21 Feb Gabriela Lena Frank writes music on Dad's PCV service 21 Feb

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Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week.

Peace Corps Calendar: Tempest in a Teapot? Bulgarian writer Ognyan Georgiev has written a story which has made the front page of the newspaper "Telegraf" criticizing the photo selection for his country in the 2005 "Peace Corps Calendar" published by RPCVs of Madison, Wisconsin. RPCV Betsy Sergeant Snow, who submitted the photograph for the calendar, has published her reply. Read the stories and leave your comments.

WWII participants became RPCVs Read about two RPCVs who participated in World War II in very different ways long before there was a Peace Corps. Retired Rear Adm. Francis J. Thomas (RPCV Fiji), a decorated hero of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 at 100. Mary Smeltzer (RPCV Botswana), 89, followed her Japanese students into WWII internment camps. We honor both RPCVs for their service.

Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps The White House is proposing $345 Million for the Peace Corps for FY06 - a $27.7 Million (8.7%) increase that would allow at least two new posts and maintain the existing number of volunteers at approximately 7,700. Bush's 2002 proposal to double the Peace Corps to 14,000 volunteers appears to have been forgotten. The proposed budget still needs to be approved by Congress.

RPCVs mobilize support for Countries of Service RPCV Groups mobilize to support their Countries of Service. Over 200 RPCVS have already applied to the Crisis Corps to provide Tsunami Recovery aid, RPCVs have written a letter urging President Bush and Congress to aid Democracy in Ukraine, and RPCVs are writing NBC about a recent episode of the "West Wing" and asking them to get their facts right about Turkey.

Read the stories and leave your comments.