Tell your Senators to SUPPORT life-saving humanitarian aid that will directly impact the lives of millions of Burmese refugees.
The House of Representatives passed a budget last month to cut $1.7 billion in life saving humanitarian aid to refugees and people in crisis around the world. The Senate rejected those cuts and introduced a version of the budget with NO cuts to life saving aid. They’re expected to vote on the bill THIS WEEK!
We must make sure the Senate protects $1.7 billion in life saving humanitarian aid. You can help. Stand up for the refugees from Burma now!
Email your senators and ask them to protect lifesaving humanitarian aid.
To access a U.S. Senate website with email links to each senator’s office, click here, then scroll down to find your senators and click on “web form.”
Here’s a sample letter. You are invited to cut, paste and personalize as appropriate–or write your own letter!
THANK YOU for supporting life-saving humanitarian aid for people displaced by war in Burma.
___________________
Dear Senator,
As a constituent, I urge you to support life-saving humanitarian aid as put forward in the Senate funding bill for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year.
I am particularly concerned about aid related to IDPs and refugees from Burma. Cuts to specific amounts – like $431 million (50%) from International Disaster Assistance, $687 million (41%) from Food for Peace, and $582 million (36%) from Migration and Refugee Assistance – will significantly impact lives on the ground in Burma and its refugees in neighboring countries. IDP and refugee service providers would be forced to make cuts to the amount of food they provide refugees, to a level below international nutritional standards. Furthermore, they would not be able to provide life-saving food, shelter, and medical aid to the thousands of new refugees that continue to flee Burma every month. These severe cuts run counter to the United States’ commitment to peace and democracy building. These cuts put U.S. interests at risk during a critical time when violence in Burma is on the rise and millions of Burmese people remain most vulnerable to state-perpetrated atrocities.
I strongly oppose the budget cuts to funding that supports humanitarian assistance. As the appropriations process continues in Congress, I urge you to do everything in your power to restore humanitarian aid for millions of refugees from Burma. Their lives depend on it.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME