McCollum Supports $450 Million For Peace Corps



Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) sent a letter to the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State Foreign Operations yesterday requesting the inclusion of $450 million for the Peace Corps in the upcoming mark up of the FY10 spending bill.

McCollum Supports $450 Million For Peace Corps

McCollum Supports $450 Million For Peace Corps

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) sent a letter to the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State Foreign Operations yesterday requesting the inclusion of $450 million for the Peace Corps in the upcoming mark up of the FY10 spending bill.

"As our nation works to restore our standing in the world, this $450 million investment will go a long way to realize President Obama's vision of young Americans working side by side with the people of other nations and reinvigorate the Peace Corps for the new century by doubling its size," Congresswoman McCollum said.

Since 1961, more than 190,000 Peace Corps volunteers have lived and worked along side people in developing countries around the world. The letter states that, "this investment in Peace Corps will support an expansion of Americans serving our country as volunteers, enable new country programs to be established, and continue the collaboration and integration of volunteers in the implementation of U.S. foreign assistance priority program areas, including basic education, agriculture and nutrition, and global health, including HIV/AIDS."

This week, the House passed the Foreign Relations Authorization Act (H.R. 2410) which includes a new Peace Corps authorization of $450 million - the same level included in the Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009 (H.R. 1066).

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-4) serves on the House Appropriations & Budget Committees.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: June, 2009; Presidents - Obama; Expansion; Congress; Appropriations; Budget

When this story was posted in June 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Join Us Mr. President! "We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we'll reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity," said Barack Obama during his campaign. Read how RPCV's rallied and and marched to the White House to support a bold new Peace Corps for a new age.

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PCOL's Candidate for Peace Corps Director Honduras RPCV Jon Carson, 33, presided over thousands of workers as national field director for the Obama campaign and said the biggest challenge -- and surprise -- was the volume of volunteer help, including more than 15,000 "super volunteers," who were a big part of what made Obama's campaign so successful. PCOL endorses Jon Carson as the man who can revitalize the Peace Corps, bring it into the internet age, and meet Obama's goal of doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011.

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Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez.

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