Changing The Game

Last Friday, the ONE Campaign's 2.4 million members, and our many partner organizations, worked together to reverse a $2.2 billion cut to the 2008 international affairs budget. The full 2008 budget process isn't complete yet, but this vote was a critical first step, and an important victory for the global poverty movement.

Significantly, this comes on the heels of many other recent wins for ONE members. In January, hundreds of thousands of ONE members and global poverty constituents successfully persuaded Congress to restore $1.45 billion for extreme poverty funding in the 2007 budget. ONE members also played a crucial role in the passage of critical Africa trade legislation in December, during the closing hours of the 109th Congress.

If you haven't been following these developments, this is a moment to note, because these wins reflect an ongoing shift in the way that global poverty is viewed and treated in American politics. The unification of millions of Americans, and humanitarian organizations, coming together to fight extreme poverty is working, and we have a consistent string of truly remarkable victories to show for it.

By fighting the roots of poverty and instability abroad, we're not just giving hope to the 1 billion people who live on less than a dollar a day, but we are creating a more secure world, and we don't think that significance is lost on the American public.

In the coming months, expect to see ONE members, and our many partner organizations, playing a pivotal role in the budget appropriations process, as well as on carefully chosen legislation for education, women, children, debt and trade in developing countries throughout the 110th Congress.

As a member commented on the ONE Blog on Friday, we finally have "an effective grassroots fighting force for global poverty.

We've changed the game ladies and gentlemen.

Congratulations!"