2011.02.14: February 14, 2011: House Appropriations-proposed Peace Corps cuts would violate Obama's promise
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2011.02.14: February 14, 2011: House Appropriations-proposed Peace Corps cuts would violate Obama's promise
House Appropriations-proposed Peace Corps cuts would violate Obama's promise
President Barack Obama offered his proposed 2012 budget today. It requests a $40 million funding increase to Peace Corps, from $400 million; though again, International Organizations and Peacekeeping will see a $269 million decrease, or 7.1 percent. In total, Obama is proposing about $47 billion for the Department of State and Other International Programs, a 1 percent increase compared to fiscal year 2010, according the Office of Management and Budget. The point is, the Peace Corp's fiscal year 2010 budget saw the highest year-to-year increase from Congress, from $340 million to $400 million, but it's nowhere near funding needed to fulfill candidate Obama's 2007 promise (PDF) to double the Peace Corps from 7,800 to 16,000 volunteers by 2011, the program's 50th anniversary.
House Appropriations-proposed Peace Corps cuts would violate Obama's promise
House Appropriations-proposed Peace Corps cuts would violate Obama's promise
By Sofia Resnick | 02.14.11 | 5:18 pm Comments Share As Congress and the White House prepare budgets for two fiscal years concurrently - the Washington Post's Ezra Klein explains why there are two different budget debates, for FY2011 and FY2012, going on right now - funding for the Peace Corps is one area that exemplifies the difficulties in reconciling the promises of candidate Barack Obama and the realities for President Obama.
The House Appropriations Committee's Continuing Resolution for FY2011, released Friday, calls for $226.5 million in reductions to contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities. The Peace Corps would be losing out on $69.2 million in this fiscal year (ending Sept. 30, 2011), if the bill passes in the House next week. A detailed summary of the cuts can be found here (PDF).
On the other hand, President Barack Obama offered his proposed 2012 budget today. It requests a $40 million funding increase to Peace Corps, from $400 million; though again, International Organizations and Peacekeeping will see a $269 million decrease, or 7.1 percent. In total, Obama is proposing about $47 billion for the Department of State and Other International Programs, a 1 percent increase compared to fiscal year 2010, according the Office of Management and Budget.
In comparison, the Obama administration has proposed beefing up the Department of the Defense's budget by $22 billion, to $553 billion.
The point is, the Peace Corp's fiscal year 2010 budget saw the highest year-to-year increase from Congress, from $340 million to $400 million, but it's nowhere near funding needed to fulfill candidate Obama's 2007 promise (PDF) to double the Peace Corps from 7,800 to 16,000 volunteers by 2011, the program's 50th anniversary.
Currently, the Peace Corps has 8,655 volunteers - and the cuts haven't even started.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: February, 2011; Presidents - Obama; Congress; Budget; Appropriations
When this story was posted in October 2011, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
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| How Volunteers Remember Sarge As the Peace Corps' Founding Director Sargent Shriver laid the foundations for the most lasting accomplishment of the Kennedy presidency. Shriver spoke to returned volunteers at the Peace Vigil at Lincoln Memorial in September, 2001 for the Peace Corps 40th. "The challenge I believe is simple - simple to express but difficult to fulfill. That challenge is expressed in these words: PCV's - stay as you are. Be servants of peace. Work at home as you have worked abroad. Humbly, persistently, intelligently. Weep with those who are sorrowful, Care for those who are sick. Serve your wives, serve your husbands, serve your families, serve your neighbors, serve your cities, serve the poor, join others who also serve," said Shriver. "Serve, Serve, Serve. That's the answer, that's the objective, that's the challenge." |
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Story Source: American Independent
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Obama; Congress; Budget; Appropriations
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