Global aid good for business

Global poverty comes in all shapes and sizes. The faces of poverty are billions of people, young and old, who lack resources to clean drinking water, health care, nutrition and education (UNICEF, 2019).

In fact, 2.7 million newborns worldwide die within the first month of life because of poverty (UNICEF, 2019). For most powerful countries, giving aid is an important part of their social responsibility. For the U.S. foreign policy, the White House is looking to decrease the International Affairs Budget.

Why does it matter?

Investing in the poor can turn large returns on investment for the United States. By helping fight global poverty, those affected and who are barely surviving can gain access to resources like healthy food and clean water to meet their basic needs. In addition, those people then become working poor, who then transform to middle- and upper-class citizens. When we help others to do better, we all do better by increasing international trade markets and Foreign Direct Investment.

I would like to reach out to Maria Cantwell and say thank you for supporting the International Affairs Budget and for being concerned with the proposed cuts to the budget.

Ariel St. Clair

Spokane