Jack, 

The Trump administration has launched an unprecedented assault on lifesaving humanitarian aid supporting millions of people around the world. Now, they are calling on Congress to cancel more than $8 billion of foreign aid funding that Congress had already approved — funding that helps deliver clean water, medical care, education, housing, and food to millions of refugees and other people whose lives are at risk from conflict, natural disasters, and hunger.

Last week, the House of Representatives narrowly voted to approve these devastating cuts. Now, the Senate is preparing to cast their vote, and time is running out to act before they move forward. We urgently need lawmakers to protect these essential funds from being stripped away. Can you reach out to your senators now and tell them to vote NO on these foreign aid cuts?

Jack, these proposed reductions would compound the foreign aid cuts first imposed by the Trump administration in its earliest days. Since those initial rollbacks, HIAS and other global humanitarian organizations have done everything possible to support those we serve, including taking the administration to court to defend lifesaving aid. But the consequences of this assault have been devastating. 

In just a few months, people all around the world lost the support needed to meet their basic human needs. At HIAS alone, we’ve been forced to close offices and shut down programs that once supported 450,000 people. Additional cuts would only worsen this crisis, forcing humanitarian programs to turn away even more people in need.

The consequences are already devastating, but the case for protecting foreign aid goes beyond immediate humanitarian relief. Foreign aid makes up less than 1% of the U.S. federal budget, but it provides:

• Clean water;
• Food;
• Emergency housing;
• Mental healthcare;
• Education for children;
• Protection from violence;
• Hygiene supplies;
• And more for refugees and people experiencing conflict, natural disasters, and hunger.

That’s why we need to reach out to our lawmakers NOW and insist they stand by their original commitment. Tell your senators: vote NO on legislation to cancel critical humanitarian funding you have already approved.

Thank you for taking action today. Together, we can protect millions of lives around the world.

— HIAS 

Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612.