Aid groups plead with Congress to stop funding cuts

The heads of 29 international aid organizations have written to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other House leaders urging them to restore funding cut in the spending bill the House passed early Saturday morning. They call the cuts devastating and say they will hurt America's reputation.

The letter sent Tuesday night kicks off a lobbying campaign by the groups to head off the cuts, which are part of the $61 billion in cuts Republicans are seeking this year.

It warns that the bill “would imperil the longstanding U.S. commitment to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance for those threatened by disaster and conflict.”

It notes that the spending bill cuts global disaster aid by 67 percent, refugee assistance by 45 percent and global food relief by 41 percent relative to 2010.

The bill risks that the U.S. will not be able to “show up” during the next crisis on the order of the Haitian earthquake or genocide in Darfur, the groups say.

They argue that the bill will also undermine the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan since it would slash funding to deal with refugees flowing into Pakistan from that country.

The groups have their work cut out for them; polls in recent weeks have consistently shown that the public favors cutting foreign aid above all other cuts, including education and defense. A January Gallup poll found 59 percent of the public favored cutting foreign aid.

The letter is signed by ADRA International, the American Jewish World Service, the American Refugee Committee, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, CHF International, ChildFund International, Church World Service, Food for the Hungry, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the International Medical Corps, International Relief and Development, the International Relief Teams, the International Rescue Committee, the Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, Life for Relief & Development, Lutheran World Relief, Mercy Corps, Oxfam America, Refugees International, Relief International, Resolve, Save the Children, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, the Women’s Refugee Commission, the World Food Program–USA, Hope International and World Vision.