Funds to Prevent War Face Devastating Cuts - Act Now!

By Bridget Moix on 08/08/2011 @ 03:57 PM

Tags: Government Affairs, Peaceful Prevention

As policymakers and lobbyists alike scramble to try to understand what impact the new debt deal will have on their favorite programs, one thing is becoming clear. Critical funding for tools to help prevent wars are facing drastic cuts that could close down hard won programs forever.

Because the international affairs budget is treated as part of a broad category of "security spending", which also includes the Pentagon budget, it will now have to compete directly with the military industrial complex as Congress decides where to cut from the 2012 budget in the months ahead.

The international affairs budget and specific programs that help prevent war, including the Complex Crises Fund, Civilian Response Corps, and UN funding, were already slashed by the House when it marked up its initial FY12 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill on July 27. (See Alex Stark's blogpost for all the gorey details.)

Now, the US Global Leadership Campaign, which mobilizes support for the international affairs budget, is predicting an additional 20-30% cut non-military international affairs spending under the debt deal. Humanitarian aid, development assistance, State Department diplomacy, and contributions to international organizations could all face even deeper cuts than the House bill. (Remarkably, the debt deal exempts funding for the Global War on Terror - one of the biggest spending sprees that got the US into this mess - from any cuts.) Small, innovative programs that are helping prevent and mitigate deadly conflicts are now at risk of being cut completely from the FY12 budget. If these programs are lost this year, they may never be funded again.

As Members of Congress try to understand the implications of the debt deal and begin to dole out funding cuts, now is the time to write and speak with your legislators. Urge them to save both lives and treasure by preserving programs that can help prevent deadly conflict and avoid costly military interventions. Ask them to help protect the Complex Crises Fund, Civilian Response Corps, and UN funding.

Please take action today!