2023 Global Poverty Laser Talks
FY24 Global Appropriations
Engage: The U.S. has historically invested in effective and accountable global development programs that improve access to good education, good health, and brighter futures.
State Problem: COVID, conflict, and other crises have taken an incredible toll on basic education and healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. The most impoverished have been severely affected. We’ve seen increased TB cases, record malnutrition, school closures, and children who haven’t received a single dose of any childhood vaccine. We must do better.
Inform: The State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee (SFOPS) will soon consider spending levels for global health and education for fiscal year 2024 (FY24). It’s critical that we fund effective global health and education programs to turn the tide.
Call to Action: Will you please write and speak to the leadership of SFOPS, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Barbara Lee and Sens. Chris Coons and Lindsey Graham and ask that they include RESULTS priorities in their FY24 spending bill?
Link to FY24 appropriations funding chart
READ Act (Global education)
Engage: There is a phenomenon called “learning poverty,” and it targets the futures of children. Children who experience learning poverty cannot read or comprehend simple text by 10 years old.
State Problem: According to the World Bank, roughly 57% of children in low- and middle-income countries experienced learning poverty in 2019. Thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, that rate has increased to a stunning 70%.
Inform: The READ Act of 2017 made a difference in the lives of millions of young people and needs to be reauthorized in 2023. The bill calls on the U.S. to update its foundational literacy and numeracy strategy. It also calls for robust monitoring and evaluation.
Call to Action: Children around the world need reading and numeracy skills for success and a bright future. Will you be a READ Act co-sponsor?
End Tuberculosis Now Act
Engage: Tuberculosis (TB) is often thought of as a disease in the history bin. Unfortunately, TB is surging again at a level we haven’t seen in a long time.
State Problem: Around the world, TB resources were diverted toward the COVID-19 pandemic, and that put TB response at risk. Now, a World Health Organization (WHO) report states TB rates and deaths increased during 2020 and 2021.
Inform: We ignore this setback in the fight against TB at our peril. This disease is both a driver and an exacerbator of global poverty, and it targets vulnerable populations. But the End Tuberculosis Act (S. 288) in the Senate can help change that. The bill calls for bold U.S. goals to reach those most vulnerable to the disease. It also will help the U.S. coordinate better with such entities as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Call to Action: Will you co-sponsor the End Tuberculosis Act today? It will help save lives and boost the global health infrastructure needed to address future pandemics.