40 Senators Sign Annual Peace Corps Funding Letter
40 Senators signed the annual Peace Corps funding Dear Colleague letter, urging support for the president's FY 2025 request of $479 million for the Peace Corps. By Jonathan Pearson Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and fellow committee member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), have sent the annual Peace Corps funding Dear Colleague letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for State/Foreign Operations. The letter urges support for President Biden's request of $479 million for the Peace Corps – an eleven percent funding increase – for the fiscal year that begins next October 1st (FY 2025)....
112 House Reps Sign Annual Peace Corps Funding Letter
The annual House Peace Corps funding Dear Colleague letter is now closed, but not before 112 lawmakers demonstrated their support. By Jonathan Pearson On Thursday, April 25, RPCV Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), and fellow Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA), the Co-Chairs of the House Peace Corps Caucus, began circulating the annual Peace Corps funding Dear Colleague letter. This year’s letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee for State/Foreign Operations, urges support for President Biden's request of $479 million for the Peace Corps for the fiscal year that begins in October (FY 2025). This would represent an eleven percent increase over...
Diary of a First-Time Advocate
8:30AM It is a windy morning when I arrive at our Peace Corps meeting point in an old church located two blocks away from the Supreme Court and the Capitol building. Ever since I moved to Washington D.C., I am continuously amazed and humbled by our nation’s magnificent venues. When I arrive at the church, I am impressed by the large number of former Peace Corps Volunteers who, like me, had served our country in previous years. Everyone I greet is kind as we share experiences about serving on the ground with our global communities. 8:45AM Jonathan Pearson, Peace Corps Advocacy...
Heavy Medal
Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the return of the first Peace Corps Volunteers to the United States. Members of Congress and all those who support the outstanding contributions of the Peace Corps should consider nominating Returned Peace Corps Volunteers as a group for a prestigious Congressional Gold Medal, an accolade that would encapsulate their profound impact across 140 nations. As many of the first Volunteers sent abroad enter their retirement years, now is the time to show our nation’s appreciation for their outstanding global accomplishments. As President John F. Kennedy said in his remarks upon signing the Peace...
A Bipartisan No-Brainer
The existence and efforts of the National Service Caucus are indicative of the power and potential of national service in the United States, something that should be continuously celebrated and cultivated. The National Service Caucus was established in 2004 by Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), Rep. David Price (D-NC), Rep. Tom Osborne (R-NE) and Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN). The caucus became bicameral in 2008 when Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) established a companion caucus in the Senate. “My ambition when I was in college was to be in the Peace Corps and maybe serve in some public way in government…and give that to discussions when I was growing up by Kennedy and others,”...
Peace Corps, Other International Funding Facing Budget Cuts
For the first time in many years, both the Senate and House Appropriations Committees are both putting forward recommendations that would reduce funding for our nation’s international affairs programs. By Jonathan Pearson More than a month ago, negotiations on the federal debt ceiling which ultimately averted a default of U.S. financial obligations, included an agreement to cap most non-discretionary government spending for the next two years. Now, the Senate and House of Representatives are advancing their respective appropriations bills to fund the federal government for the fiscal year that begins October 1. Our nation's international affairs programs are on the chopping...
A Little Relief: Public Service Loan Forgiveness
At last, some good news for the Peace Corps community on Public Service Loan Forgiveness By Katie McSheffrey Last October, the U.S. Department of Education announced an overhaul of the troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). But that initial overhaul did not include proposals to help Peace Corps Volunteers. National Peace Corps Association has covered this problem in podcasts and in WorldView magazine. Months later, those of us who have been leading the RPCVs for PSLF Relief Facebook group have some good news. First, a bit more background. What the Secretary of Education announced in October 2021 was a limited time waiver, through which...
Senate Committee Advances Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022
Less than a month after its introduction, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee advance major legislation — with broad, bipartisan support — to further reform and improve the Peace Corps. By Jonathan Pearson Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) came together on July 19 and agreed to advance Senate Bill 4466, the bipartisan Peace Corps Reauthorization Act — which would reauthorize the Peace Corps agency for the first time in over 20 years. The legislation was approved on a voice vote, with all key provisions of the legislation remaining in place. This is another major advance in National Peace Corps Association’s (NPCA) efforts to...
At Last, Here’s Some Good News for the Peace Corps Community When It Comes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program has also been a focus of concern for members of the Peace Corps community, because returned Volunteers were left out of reforms that were supposed to help them. Now here’s some good news. By Katie McSheffrey Photo by JessicaRain / Wikimedia Commons Last October, the U.S. Department of Education announced an overhaul of the troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). But that initial overhaul, did not include proposals to help Peace Corps Volunteers. National Peace Corps Association has covered this in podcasts and WorldView magazine. Months later, those of us who have been leading the RPCVs for PSLF Relief Facebook group...
Action Alert: Ask Your House Rep to Sign the Peace Corps Funding Letter to Provide Robust Support for Volunteers as They Return to Service Overseas
In the House of Representatives, today (April 22) is the deadline for a bipartisan letter from the co-chairs of the Peace Corps Caucus seeking a $40 million increase in agency funding. Now is the time to contact your House Rep and ask them to sign this letter. By Jonathan Pearson Congressmen John Garamendi (D-CA) and Garret Graves (R-LA), co-chairs of the House Peace Corps Caucus, have begun circulating a Peace Corps funding letter asking other House members to sign on and ensure robust support for the agency as Volunteers return to service overseas. The letter, addressed to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State &...