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28 Subcommittee Members - Urge them to support $450 Million for Peace Corps

WRITE A LETTER TODAY!

Copy the text below and paste it into your word processing software. Personalize it by filling in the blanks and send to your Congressman!

Dear                                   ,

I am writing to you from ______ to request you, in your role as a member of the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs appropriations subcommitteee,  to support $450 million in the FY 2010 budget for the Peace Corps.  This amount would allow the Peace Corps to grow and innovate at a time when the US needs soft power initiatives like Peace Corps to help restore US standing in the world.  A Bill in the House of Representatives which would authorize this amount, HR 1066, the Peace Corps Expansion Act 2009, has garnered over 120 co-sponsors. 

The Peace Corps is neglected and underfunded.  In 2009, we will send fewer than 3,500 volunteers to the Peace Corps - less than half the number in 1966.  Over twenty nations without Peace Corps missions including Indonesia, Vietnam, and Sierra Leone have requested new programs, but due to insufficient funds, Peace Corps cannot respond.  In 2008 alone, over 13,000 people applied to become volunteers, a 16% increase over 2007.  The number of minority applicants and applicants over the age of 50 also rose by double digits in the last year.   The desire for Americans to serve internationally is matched by a long list of countries that want volunteers.  This is an appropriate time to grow and revitalize Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps had a profound impact on my life and US community.  I served in _______________.

I hope you share my view that the Peace Corps is a vital component of our public diplomacy toolbox.  Since 1961, nearly 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers have provided meaningful, small-scale development assistance, reversing stereotypes about Americans and returning stateside to enrich communities domestically with new language and other skills.  Peace Corps continues to be one of America’s finest expressions of friendship and solidarity across the globe. 

The Obama-Biden Administration is working diligently to reinvigorate our foreign policy and burnish America’s image. To do this, we must maximize every element of soft power. Investing in Peace Corps would help to reestablish our credibility and moral standing abroad, while exposing people to the core American values of peace, progress, tolerance and prosperity.  It is for these reasons I urge you to support a $450 million Peace Corps appropriation.

I appreciate the ardent support you have provided to the Peace Corps in the past and welcome your support in the subcommittee.

Sincerely,

NAME
PEACE CORPS YEARS (IF RPCV)
ADDRESS
PHONE, EMAIL
TITLE(S)

House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Democrats
Nita M. Lowey (NY) (Chair)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (IL)
Adam Schiff (CA)
Steve Israel (NY)
Ben Chandler (KY)
Steven R. Rothman (NJ)
Barbara Lee (CA)
Betty McCollum (MN)
David R. Obey (WI), Ex Officio

Republicans
Kay Granger (TX) (Ranking Member)
Mark Steven Kirk (IL)
Ander Crenshaw (FL)
Dennis R. Rehberg (MT)
Jerry Lewis (CA), Ex Officio

Senate Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Democrats
Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) (Chair)
Senator Daniel Inouye (HI)
Senator Tom Harkin (IA)
Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Senator Richard Durbin (IL)
Senator Tim Johnson (SD)
Senator Mary Landrieu (LA)
Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ)

Republican
Senator Judd Gregg (NH) (Ranking Member)
Senator Mitch McConnell (KY)
Senator Arlen Specter (PA)
Senator Robert Bennett (UT)
Senator Christopher Bond (MO)
Senator Sam Brownback (KS)

28 Subcommittee Members - Urge them to support $450 Million for Peace Corps

WRITE A LETTER TODAY!

House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

Senate Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

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