Washington, D.C., June 28, 2024 – Bread for the World released the following statement on the House of Representative’s passage of the Fiscal Year 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPs) Appropriations Act. The legislation would make devastating cuts to U.S. humanitarian and development assistance programs and agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It would also defund a number of institutions at the United Nations, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The statement can be attributed to Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World:
“Bread for the World is deeply concerned by the devastating funding cuts to humanitarian and development aid programs and organizations that were passed as a part of the House SFOPs appropriation bill. These funding cuts would severely hinder the United States’ ability to respond to humanitarian crises, including hunger and famine crises happening right now in in Sudan, Gaza, Haiti, Armenia, Burkina Faso, and numerous other countries and regions worldwide. They will also impede efforts to prevent these types of humanitarian crises from happening.”
Specifically, the House legislation would:
- Cut the overall SFOPs allotment by more than 11 percent below the fiscal year 2024 level.
- Cut USAID’s operating expenses by $480 million below the FY 2024 level.
- Cut funding for development assistance by $931 million below the FY 2024 level.
- Cut funding for international disaster assistance by $1.3 billion below the FY 2024 level.
- Cut funding for programs addressing global maternal and child health and infectious diseases by $362 million below the FY 2024 level.
- Cut funding for international financial institutions by $583 million below the FY 2024 level.
- Cut funding for migration and refugee assistance by $500 million below the FY 2024 level.
- Defund a host of institutions at the United Nations, including UNICEF, and prohibit support for the WHO and UNFPA.
- Prohibit funding for a host of programs addressing climate change, one of the primary causes of hunger, including the Green Climate Fund, the Clean Technology Fund, and implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement.
“Cutting funding for these critical humanitarian aid programs and organizations, including a UN aid organization focused specifically on the wellbeing of children, while the world is in the midst of the worst hunger and famine crisis in a generation is unthinkable. These cuts would impact and endanger the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide, particularly women and children.
“We are, however, encouraged that a majority of House members voted down many of the most harmful amendments that were offered, including amendments that would have defunded USAID and international disaster relief assistance. Bread thanks our advocates who contacted their representative and asked them to support humanitarian assistance and oppose the harmful amendments.
“Bread now urges the Senate to pass a sensible SFOPs appropriations bill that recognizes the importance of global humanitarian aid and development while acknowledging the difficult budget environment we are in.”
Read more:
Bread’s Response to Hunger Hotspots in Gaza and Around the World
Bread Urges Lawmakers to Oppose Dramatic Humanitarian Aid Funding Cuts
