response

Here's the email from Sherrod Brown:

Dear Mrs. F:

Thank you for getting in touch with me about the humanitarian crisis in Somalia and the Horn of Africa.

I share your concern for the more than 12 million people in this region who need emergency life-saving assistance. I fully support the Administration’s pledge of $28 million in humanitarian assistance to Somalia and an additional $105 million for the Horn of Africa. However, more can — and must — be done.

On August 17, I joined three of my Senate colleagues in calling on Secretary Clinton to expand our nation’s leadership in the international response to this crisis. In addition, we asked that the Administration work to ensure assistance is quickly delivered to the innocent people who are dying in large numbers.

As the situation continues to unfold, I will continue to support substantial and expedited humanitarian assistance to those affected by the famine in Somalia and the Horn of Africa.

Thank you for also sharing your support for global poverty reduction initiatives.

Ending hunger and poverty is not simply a matter of feeding enough people. The conditions that keep more than a quarter of the world population in absolute poverty -- living on less than the equivalent buying power of one U.S. dollar a day -- must be addressed. Sadly, many developing nations have the resources they need to feed their populations, yet they are burdened with foreign debt. Many of these countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, spend nearly 40 percent of their annual budget repaying foreign debt -- money that could be used to build schools, hospitals, and other public works projects. In fact, the high rate of interest on foreign loans virtually ensures they will never be fully repaid, thus locking future generations into a cycle of poverty.

Since my election to Congress, I have supported debt relief for these nations and I have worked to alleviate global poverty by assisting developing nations in their efforts to become self-sufficient. I have also supported crucial anti-poverty initiatives in the area of global health. Major global health threats such as tuberculosis undermine the social and economic structures of entire communities in developing nations, killing working-age adults and draining scarce public resources.

Finally, the U.S. International Affairs budget allocates funds to the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and a variety of foreign assistance programs such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Peace Corps. Foreign assistance funding supports agencies and programs that work to cure life-threatening diseases, secure troubled regions, establish trade and economic opportunities abroad, and support democracy-building initiatives. With this funding, basic necessities such as vaccinations, food, water, education, and shelter are provided for millions of people who would otherwise go without. Not only do these initiatives support our humanitarian and democratic values, but they ultimately contribute to our national security and economic prosperity.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, as well as the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, I will continue to support foreign aid as an integral part of our international diplomacy and national security efforts.

Thank you again for getting in touch with me.

Sincerely,

Sherrod Brown

United States Senator