FY23 Appropriations - Tell Congress to Fund the Fight Against Poverty (Updated May 23)

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on March 14, 2022 and was last updated on May 23, 2022.

As RESULTS advocates, our mission is to inspire Congress to take meaningful actions to fight poverty. Annually – as Congress turns its focus to the “appropriations” process, we have a real opportunity to get members on the record in support of global health and development issues.

One way we can ensure that global anti-poverty and health programs are fully funded is by asking Congress to raise their voices on this issue with their peers through congressional “sign-on” letters. We also have the opportunity to ask members of Congress to use their political power to prioritize funding for these critical anti-poverty programs.

That’s why in March, RESULTS’ appropriations campaign kicked off with the release of our fiscal year 2023 “Appropriations Memos.” New to this? Feel free to reach out! But here are some basics:

What are the “Appropriations Memos” used for? Every member of Congress can give input on spending preferences to each of the 12 sub-committees of appropriations. We ask our representatives and senators to include our requests–the Appropriations Memos– with their submissions to appropriators.

What’s a sign on letter? A “sign-on” letter (also called a “Dear Colleague” letter) is like a petition in Congress and another why to provide input appropriators. Sign-on letters are circulated by champions in Congress to ask other members to join them in showing their support for an issue. Sign on letters on funding levels are sent to the leaders of the appropriations committee that writes the foreign aid spending bill. The number of signers on these letters set a marker for just how much support an issue area has. As leaders of the committee start writing their annual spending bill, having clear support from their colleagues is important when they are deciding how to divide up their budget for the year. These letters can have a lot of sway with leadership when a strong number of their colleagues are asking them to support a cause – especially if it shows bipartisan support!

Which letter? Annually RESULTS supports several different appropriations sign-on letters on both the House and Senate side. For FY23 we are prioritizing three letters that ask appropriators support: 1) funding for Tuberculosis treatment and control, 2) funding for Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition, and 3) Funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

When are the deadlines? How do you choose? Our window of opportunity to get Congressional support for each letter is different. Check below and continue to check this blog as it will be updated to let you know who has signed on to the many letters circulating and what their deadlines are. Remember! You don’t have to ask for everything. Pick and choose the appropriations requests and letters that you think your member of Congress will be most interested in. To help you decide, you can also find a longer-term Congressional Scorecard of actions your representatives and senators have taken over the past several years up to 2022 on this page. You can also check out last year’s appropriations letters to see who signed on previously.

Where can I learn more? The following blogs are a great resource for all things appropriations: What the heck is appropriations and what does it have to do with me? and Government funding cheat sheet. Also, check out this Appropriations 101 training webinar from March 30, 2022. You can also use the sample letter in the April Global Action Sheet to help you with your requests.

The tracker for FY23 signers is here.

Senate Letters

FY23 Senate Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Dear Colleague Letter (Closed with 35 signers)

• Deadline: May 17, 2022
• Bipartisan letter led by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
• Asks appropriators for robust funding for the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and Nutrition Accounts within the Global Health Programs account at USAID. 
• Final signed letter

FY23 Senate Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria Dear Colleague Letter (Closed with 36 signers)

• Deadline: May 13, 2022
• Bipartisan letter led by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
• Asks appropriators for robust funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund)
• Final signed letter

FY23 Senate Tuberculosis Dear Colleague Letter (Closed with 30 signers)

• Deadline: May 17, 2022
• Bipartisan letter led by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Todd Young (R-IN)
• Asks appropriators for robust funding for USAID’s bilateral Tuberculosis programs.
• Final signed letter

House letters

FY23 House Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Dear Colleague Letter (Closed with 178 signers)

• Deadline: April 18, 2022
• Bipartisan letter led by Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Young Kim (R-CA)
• Asks appropriators for $300 million for Global Nutrition within USAID Global Health
• Final signed letter

FY23 House Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria Dear Colleague Letter (Closed with 149 signers)

• Deadline: April 22, 2022
• Bipartisan letter led by Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Ami Bera (D-CA), Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) and Peter Meijer (R-MI)
• Asks appropriators to significantly increase funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund)
• Final signed letter

FY23 House Tuberculosis Dear Colleague Letter (Closed with 120 signers)

• Deadline: April 22, 2022
• Bipartisan letter led by Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA) and Ann Wagner (R-MO)
• Asks appropriators for $1 billion for USAID’s global TB program and $225 million for the CDC’s domestic TB program
• Final signed letter

Other letters that RESULTS supports

FY23 Global Education Letter

• Bipartisan letter led by Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
• Asks appropriators to fully fund International Basic Education 
• Closed with 33 signers in the Senate and 117 signers in the House.