Peace Corps Polyglot

Advocacy Round-Up: Peace Corps Funding Holds, Farm Bill Reform Fails

There was a whirlwind of activity on Capitol Hill in December, with many issues of interest to our community.  Here's a summary:

Peace Corps Funding Holds in Budget Package:  While Congress and the President battled over the federal budget, there was mostly good news on the Peace Corps funding front.  The omnibus spending bill sent to the President includes $333.5 Million for Peace Corps.  While an across-the-budget recission may reduce the final funding by approximately $2 Million - the figure represents the highest funding increase in at least four years.

Congressional Letters Supporting Foreign Affairs Funding:  Nearly 60 Senators and 120 Representatives have signed onto congressional letters urging President Bush to support robust foreign affairs funding when he submits his Fiscal Year 2009 budget.  The US Global Leadership Campaign has a running list of who signed the letter - consider contacting your lawmakers to say thank you or to express your disappointment.

Farm Bill:  The growing call for reform of U.S. agriculture policies from social justice and other organizations required reform opponents to pull out all the stops to defeat a key amendment to reduce trade-distorting subsidies.  While the amendment actually passed, an agreement that it secure enough votes to survive a Senate filibuster led to the withdrawl of the Dorgan-Grassley amendment.  Read this press release from Oxfam America.  A conference committee will begin the process of reconciling differences between the Senate and House versions of the Farm Bill.

Farm Bill Debate Begins, Stall in the Senate

Senate debate on the Farm Bill began this week, but quickly stalled due to procedural disagreements related to the number and type of amendments that would be introduced, and the threat of a presidential veto of the bill in its present form.

News reports outlined a wide range of scenarios - ranging from later this week to early next year - on when Senate action would resume.

At least two key amendments (Dorgan-Grassley payment limits amendment; Lugar-Lautenberg FRESH Act) that would reform trade-distorting agriculture subsidies are expected to be introduced when debate resumes.

Your action on the Farm Bill is still needed. If you have not contacted your Senators, please take action.

>> Read More

>> Take Action Now

Trade Justice Advocacy Heats Up

The House Agriculture Committee is expected to meet during the week of June 25th to consider changes to the 2007 Farm Bill. Decisions on U.S. agriculture policy don’t just impact farmers here at home (link to recent Washington Post article detailing the plight of small-hold farmers in the Mississippi delta). They also impact millions of people in countries where Peace Corps volunteers serve.

It’s time to be a voice for small farmers and rural communities around the world by urging your lawmakers to support agricultural reforms that don’t undermine their livelihoods. Click here to take action
now. Click here to get details on a June 24th trade justice program in Greenbelt, Maryland
organized by the NPCA and the Friends of Burkina Faso. And finally, click here to learn more about the concerns of one RPCV farmer, Bill Smith of Dakota .