PCI’s CEO Statement on the FY 2020 International Affairs Budget Request

The Administration and Congress Should Agree on Budget to Protect Foreign Assistance

WASHINGTON — PCI’s President & CEO, Carrie Hessler-Radelet, issued the following statement on the release of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2020 International Affairs Budget Proposal:

“PCI is proud to partner with the U.S. Government in enhancing health, ending hunger, overcoming hardship and advancing women and girls throughout the world. U.S. global leadership is critical to creating a safer, more prosperous world for all. The Administration’s proposed 24% cut to the International Affairs Budget is short-sighted and risky to our national and economic security. The investments our country makes in our foreign assistance programs save lives, generate economic growth and empower communities overseas.

For example, every day, PCI works in partnership with the U.S. government to provide school meals to more than 220,000 children in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Tanzania. Improving the health and well-being of those students ensures they have opportunities to succeed at school and to create better futures for their families, communities and countries.

We cannot afford to turn our backs on the development gains of recent years—or our nation’s values— and we call on Congress to continue to protect these critical resources.”

About Project Concern International (PCI): PCI’s mission is to empower people to enhance health, end hunger, overcome hardship and advance women & girls. PCI envisions a world in which the most vulnerable people will have the power to lift themselves out of poverty and to create vital, healthy lives for their families and communities now and for the future. PCI works in 15 countries, including the United States. For more information, visit www.PCIGlobal.org.