David Beckmann

When I open my Bible, it isn't hard to find a verse that underscores our responsibility as Christians to care for the least among us. Proverbs 19:17 tells us, "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." Unfortunately, some members...

In recent weeks, President Barack Obama, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich all talked about poverty--which was very unusual, as political leaders of both parties generally avoid talking about poor people.

At the National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama explained how his Christian faith inspires...

We got through 2011 without major cuts in national programs focused on hungry and poor people. Powerful political forces made a major push to cut these programs in the name of deficit reduction, but church leaders and faith groups rallied to form a circle of protection around hungry and poor...

My friend Tony Hall told me several weeks ago that he felt called to a period of fasting in response to the budget debate that now dominates Congress. I have decided to join Tony (a former member of Congress who now heads the Alliance to End Hunger) in a one-week,...

U.S. foreign assistance has helped drive some of the greatest human progress in the last 50 years. The impact of America's generosity and leadership can be measured in millions of lives saved and transformed. For example, the Marshall Plan rebuilt Europe's economy after World War II, and the Green Revolution...

Recently, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) reintroduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Measuring American Poverty Act (H.R. 2909), that would update the way poverty is measured in the United States. The proposed new way of gauging poverty levels takes into account household costs such as housing, childcare,...

Officials from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently confirmed what many development experts already know: local and regional procurement of food aid provides opportunities to enhance U.S. foreign assistance efforts. Testifying before Congress recently, they warned, however, that challenges remain on how to efficiently and reliably distribute food aid...

After reading several reader responses to a recent essay in the Wall Street Journal by former Secretaries of State Albright and Powell, "Don't Forget About Foreign Aid" at href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124148276774185481.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124148276774185481.html I noticed a recurring theme. American taxpayers are concerned that their contributions to foreign aid may not always reach...

In late April, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) presented the results of a comprehensive study on what works, and what could work better, regarding U.S. foreign assistance to the developing world. A PDF copy of the study can be found here.

It's no surprise to me that the...

After my initial analysis of the fiscal year (FY) 2010 U.S. budget, unveiled last week by the Obama administration, I was encouraged to see that it represents a healthy funding boost in international poverty-focused development assistance programs. The proposed $3.4 trillion budget includes $20.5 billion for programs to fight poverty...

Since its origins after World War II, U.S. foreign assistance has served our national interests in three ways: enhancing national security, fighting poverty and expanding global economic opportunities, and promoting American values.

These interests are mutually reinforcing, and when our government pursues them, our country emerges as a pragmatic...