Religious leaders urge Congress to protect foreign aid
By Adelle M. Banks | March 16, 2017
WASHINGTON (RNS) Religious leaders, including some who spoke at President Trumps inauguration, are calling on Congress to protect foreign aid that helps the needy across the globe.
Trumps 2018 budget proposal calls for $25.6 billion in funding for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Thats a decrease of $10.1 billion, or 28 percent, from the 2017 budget.
As people of faith, we cannot turn our back on those in desperate need, more than 100 Christian leaders wrote in a letter to House and Senate officials and posted Thursday (March 16) on the website of World Vision. As followers of Christ, it is our moral responsibility to urge you to support and protect the International Affairs Budget, and avoid disproportionate cuts to these vital programs.
The letter said the current level of foreign assistance, which makes up 1 percent of the overall budget, has sharply cut the number of people living in extreme poverty and reduced the spread of infectious diseases such as Ebola and HIV/AIDS. The letter said the funding has also served to protect religious freedom for millions.
http://religionnews.com/2017/03/16/religious-leaders-urge-congress-to-protect-foreign-aid/