Tag Archives: foreign aid

Debt ceiling debate: Why foreign aid is an issue of ‘right-wrong,’ not ‘right-left’

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Peter Warski in Advocacy

The International Affairs Budget provides life-saving assistance to children and families living in poverty. Photo: Jon Warren/WV

Consider what you’ve heard in the news over the past several weeks regarding the ongoing impasse over the nation’s debt ceiling. You’ve probably heard a great deal about spending cuts, versus tax increases, versus any combination thereof. You’ve likely heard about the August 2 deadline for raising the limit, lest the United States default on its debts and risk an economic meltdown. In the midst of this, you’ve almost certainly observed a soap opera of political posturing and bickering among members of both parties. But what you probably haven’t heard much about in the context of this debate is the group that stands to lose the most: the world’s poorest, who literally depend on U.S. foreign aid for their survival....

Federal budget: broad, long-term thinking is needed

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Rich Stearns in Advocacy

In Cambodia, Sophy (one and half years old) faces mental and physical growth difficulties due to irregular health check ups in her village. (Vichheka Sok/WV/2011)

I had a fascinating discussion this week in New York. I was with my CEO counterparts from leading humanitarian aid organizations such as Save the Children, Mercy Corps, and Oxfam. We meet twice a year to discuss various issues related to aid. The topic of greatest concern to us this week is the cuts to the State Department and USAID budgets. This is an important issue because it directly affects the amount of funding available to help children and families in the poorest and, often, most unstable regions of the world. But, as I’ll argue in a moment, this is about more than saving innocent lives—it’s also about preventing political unrest and violence. First, a summary of what is being...

How would the disciples vote?

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Rich Stearns in Advocacy

Cambodia-Thai Border Conflict Refugees and Relief (Um Vanndeth/WV/2011)

I mentioned last week in our chapel service at World Vision’s U.S. headquarters about a recent Christianity Today article I read that I can’t seem to get off my mind. In the article, a recent survey (pdf) by the Pew Research Center showed that American evangelicals were more in favor of cutting federal spending to “aid the world’s poor” than any other area. Second and third to cutting foreign aid were “government assistance for the unemployed” and “environmental protection.” As World Vision urges Congress right now to reconsider its possible budget cut that will greatly affect foreign disaster assistance by more than two-thirds, I wonder how Christians in Jesus’ day would poll in a survey of this same sort. From...