Recent news
August 2011
Cuts to global health funding in 2012 budget are “deeply” concerning, blog says
August 26, 2011 -- “I am deeply concerned about the drastic cuts to global health funding proposed by the US House of Representatives for the fiscal year 2012 budget,” Christopher J. Elias, president and CEO of PATH, writes in a Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) blog post. “In the 70 countries where PATH works, we see firsthand the benefits of the leadership role that the US government plays in global health not only in terms of lives saved abroad, but also in relation to US diplomacy efforts and the US economy. We recognize that the success of global health, as well as every other development sector, depends on the stability of the international affairs budget overall.”
According to Elias, “no one would disagree with the premise that the United States needs to get its fiscal house in order. At the same time, we need to be smart about what programs are cut. Taking a hatchet to this very small piece of the fiscal pie, which accounts for less than one percent of the US federal budget, would do much more harm than good to the American economy.” For example, “American jobs depend on the business we do abroad. In fact, more than 20 percent of our jobs rely on international trade, particularly trade with the developing world where markets are growing faster than anywhere else.” In addition, “international aid programs have been proven to strengthen our national security. The military’s top brass have lauded development as a cornerstone of America’s overall foreign policy.”
“There are many more examples of how US-funded global health programs have made substantial progress against devastating diseases that exacerbate poverty,” Elias writes, concluding, “With less than one percent of the US federal budget, we have managed to accomplish some amazing feats, not only in the global health context, but throughout the development sector, and this is cause for celebration. If these dollars are cut any further, though, it is hard to say what we’ll have left to celebrate.” See the link below for more information.
