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Action Needed

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is currently considering S. 1524 – the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act. 

S. 1524 is a bipartisan bill which lays out several initial and important reforms of the U.S. foreign assistance system.

What makes an effective communication to Congress?

• If writing a letter:Put your name and address at the end of your letter AND on the envelope, so your members of Congress know that you are one of the people they represent.
  If calling:Introduce yourself and say where you live.
• Ask for specific action:Using the following sentence or your own words: "Please cosponsor S. 1524 – the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act."
• Give reasons why. Examples are: • The Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act is a good first step in making our nation’s foreign assistance more effective and streamlined. We need you to co-sponsor the bill.
  •  By making our foreign assistance more efficient and effective, U.S. assistance will have a greater impact on poor and hungry people around the world—critical in these tough economic times.
  • The act makes it U.S. policy to promote global development, good governance, and the reduction of poverty and hunger and it rebuilds the policy, planning, and evaluation capacity of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It also includes other initial reforms to make U.S. foreign assistance more accountable.

Calling Your Senator

Call your Senator today at (800) 826 3688. Ask him/her to cosponsor S. 1524. Make a difference for poor and hungry people.

Sample Letter to Your Senator

Updated: August 3, 2009


Sen. _________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Date

Dear Sen.________,

Please cosponsor S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act. This bipartisan bill is a good first step in making our foreign assistance more effective and accountable. S. 1524 finds that U.S. policy should be to promote global development, good governance, and the reduction of poverty and hunger and it rebuilds the policy, planning, and evaluation capacity of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The bill would also increase transparency of foreign assistance programs and bring greater development coordination on the ground.

U.S. foreign assistance has helped reduce child deaths, improve agricultural capacity, and increase school enrollment. But even more can be done if we improve the way foreign aid is delivered.

Making our foreign assistance more efficient and effective will have a greater impact on poor and hungry people around the world. Please cosponsor this important reform bill, S.1524.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Your Address