| March 9, 2005
First Small Victory on Food Aid
House Appropriations Committee
Adopts Jackson Amendment
As noted in our most recent action alert, the House Appropriations
Committee this week considered the FY 2005 emergency
supplemental appropriations. Initially, the Committee
cut the Presidents request for $150 million in emergency
food aid for Sudan and did not add any other funds
for food aid. USCCB and CRS have been advocating for
$1 billion in additional food aid to address global
needs.
On March 8, thanks to your advocacy efforts, the House
Appropriations Committee narrowly approved an amendment
offered by Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) by a vote
of 32-31, to restore the $150 million in emergency
food aid for Sudan in the FY2005 supplemental spending
bill. The restored funding will help assist the millions
in urgent need of food aid in Darfur, where ongoing
conflict has incited a grave famine situation.
Click here to take action now! Enter your zip code in the
text box provided and please thank your Representative
if s/he voted in favor of the Jackson amendment. If
your Representative voted against it, please let him/her
know that you are disappointed and encourage them
to change their position on the urgent need for more
food aid. Click here for other ways to get involved.
Unfortunately, the Committee cut $200 million to support
peacekeeping operations in countries like Sudan as
well as $45 million for tsunami relief. It did retain
the $200 million USCCB/CRS supported for Palestine.
The retention of emergency food aid brings the total
supplemental funding for Darfur to $242.4 million,
with an additional $100 million for Southern Sudan.
Thank you for all your efforts in encouraging Committee
members to restore funding for food aid. Please call
or write those Members who supported the Jackson Amendment
and thank them for supporting emergency food aid for
Darfur. If your member voted against the amendment,
you might write a polite note expressing your disappointment
and your hope that he or she will reconsider his or
her position on emergency food aid in the future.
You may do so by visiting the CRS website at www.crs.org/actioncenter.cfm.
The full House of Representatives is expected to consider
the emergency supplemental appropriations bill next
week. Please continue your advocacy efforts by contacting
your members of the House in support of adequate funding
for urgent global needs by visiting the CRS website
www.crs.org/actioncenter.cfm.
These members voted for granting $150 million
in food aid for Darfur:
Marion Berry (D-AR)
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA)
Allen Boyd (D-FL)
James E. Clyburn (D-SC)
Robert E. Bud Cramer, Jr. (D-AL)
Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT)
Norman D. Dicks (D-WA)
Chet Edwards (D-TX)
JoAnn Emerson (R-MO)
Sam Farr (D-CA)
Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI)
Carolyn C. Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Nita M. Lowey (D-NY)
Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)
James P. Moran (D-VA)
John P. Murtha (D-PA)
David R. Obey (D-WI)
John W. Olver (D-MA)
Ed Pastor (D-AZ)
David E. Price (D-NC)
Steven R. Rothman (D-NJ)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Martin Olav Sabo (D-MN)
Jose E. Serrano (D-NY)
Todd Tiahrt (R-KS)
Peter J. Visclosky (D-IN)
Frank R. Wolf (R-VA)
These members voted against
the $150 million for food aid:
Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
Henry Bonilla (R-TX)
John Carter (R-TX)
Ander Crenshaw (R-FL)
John Abney Culberson (R-TX)
John Doolittle (R-CA)
Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)
Virgil Goode (R-VA)
Kay Granger (R-TX)
David Hobson (R-OH)
Ernest J. Istook, Jr. (R-OK)
Jack Kingston (R-GA)
Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL)
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
Jim Kolbe (R-AZ)
Ray LaHood (R-IL)
Tom Latham (R-IA)
Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Anne Northup (R-KY)
John E. Peterson (R-PA)
Ralph Regula (R-OH)
Dennis R. Rehberg (R-MT)
Harold Rogers (R-KY)
Michael K. Simpson (R-ID)
John Sweeney (R-NY)
Charles H. Taylor (R-NC)
James Walsh (R-NY)
Zach Wamp (R-TN)
Dave Weldon (R-FL)
Roger F. Wicker (R-MS)
C.W. Bill Young (R-FL)
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