Global Poverty Act

Urge Congress to be a compassionate neighbor to those in need
Ask your Senators to co-sponsor the Global Poverty Act

Action: Contact Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Gordon Smith and ask them to co-sponsor the Global Poverty Act (S. 2433) and support an increase of $5 billion each year in poverty-focused development assistance. Go to the CWS Speak Out website to send an email and to learn more about this bill.

Background:

Last year the House of Representatives passed the Global Poverty Act. This legislation is now in the Senate and needs co-sponsors (S. 2433). If passed, it would make the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) -- to cut in half the number of people who are hungry and the number of people living on less then $1 a day -- an official part of U.S. policy. It would require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to achieve this goal.

The MDGs are a set of eight achievable objectives adopted by the nations of the world in 2000 to improve the quality of life of hundreds of millions of poor people around the world. All nations promised to fulfill these goals by 2015.

The portion of the U.S. federal budget that goes to alleviating poverty around the world is less than one-half of one percent - only about $14 billion. Congress should increase funding for poverty-focused development aid by at least $5 billion a year, starting this year. Only by doing this will the U.S. commit its fair share of resources to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

In addition to providing more funds for alleviating hunger and poverty around the world, an increase of $5 billion a year would help provide clean, affordable water and sanitation, as well as prevention and treatment for communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

Biblical reflection

"Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he said, 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?' He said to him, 'What is written in the law? What do you read there?' He answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.' And he said to him, 'You have given the right answer; do this, and your will live.' But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' (Luke 10:25-29).

We are facing a time of unusual hardship for people here in the United States, and Congress is understandably placing a priority this year on domestic needs and the economic downturn as they make decisions about spending. Yet, as Jesus reminds us in this passage and the story of the Good Samaritan which follows, there are no boundaries to God's love. Even in the midst of our own struggles, we have the opportunity to express compassion to all God's children and to address injustice and basic human needs everywhere.

CWS website: http://www.churchworldservice.org