Advocacy
-
National Peace Corps Association > News > Advocacy > Senate Appropriations Committee Recommends $400 million for Peace Corps
Senate Appropriations Committee Recommends $400 million for Peace Corps
By Jonathan Pearson on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
In a decision that keeps in play the possibility that Peace Corps will return to its high-water funding level of more than two years ago, the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday recommended $400 million for the Peace Corps for Fiscal Year 2013. This follows Tuesday’s recommendation by its State/Foreign Operations Subcommittee to approve that level of funding.
This recommendation is $25 million above the $375 million requested by President Obama, and supported last week by the House Appropriations Committee.
While there are still a number of deliberations and votes to come in the process, the opportunity now presents itself to return funding to a level that – up until now – has sustained more than 9,000 Peace Corps Volunteers and trainees in the field, the highest number of volunteers in more than four decades. Further action will be needed in the Senate to continue supporting the $400 million. Should that figure hold, the Senate and House would likely need to come together and agree on a final Peace Corps funding figure in the coming months.
This show of support for the Peace Corps was part of a 29 – 1 Committee vote in favor of a $52.1 billion funding package. Read this news release from InterAction about the vote.
For now, if you are a constituent of members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, please contact them to thank them for their leadership in supporting $400 million for the Peace Corps for Fiscal Year 2013. Special thanks should go to Subcommittee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Read NPCA’s thank you letter to Senators Leahy and Graham.
Additionally, if you are constituents of Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), you should also thank them for their earlier efforts to co-author a letter signed by 32 Senators urging strong support for Peace Corps funding.
You can contact the office of your Senators by calling the Capitol Hill switchboard (202-224-3121) and asking to be connected to their office.
Follow this link for an overview on funding for Peace Corps and other programs included in the State/Foreign Operations bill.
..about damn time when we read of JPM’s $2B trading error. I’m now extending for a 3rd year in Ghana after service 5 years ago in Romania and I KNOW the difference our paltry $400 Million makes. C’mon America..it really doesn’t get much better than Peace Corps out in the real world. Well done, NPCA..well done!
This is great news. I will definitely call my Senator, Dianne Feinstein, to thank her and encourage her to continue her efforts to use the Peace Corps to forge a better union between the United States and other nations.