As the summer heats up in Washington, so does the debate about the shape of the deficit reduction package that will allow Congress to vote to increase the debt limit. Congress has to act by August 2 in order for the Government to meet its current financial obligations.
It is clear that painful cuts are coming in a variety of Federal programs. In the face of this crisis, a diverse coalition of over 40 leaders of international and domestic non-governmental organizations, including President and CEO Caryl M. Stern of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, is calling upon the Administration and Congressional Leadership to protect international and domestic programs that benefit poor and vulnerable families and children from deep budget cuts.
This "Circle of Protection" initiative builds upon the "Hunger Fast" campaign earlier this year in which a wide group of religious and humanitarian leaders called for fasting, prayer, and action to preserve essential anti-hunger and poverty programs. But the stakes have been raised by the ongoing debt limit negotiations.
In their letter to our National Leaders, the Circle of Protection CEOs declare: "We urge Congress and the Administration to give moral priority to programs that protect the life and dignity of poor and vulnerable people in these difficult times, our broken economy, and our wounded world."
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/unicefusa/fieldnotes/~3/XVTFmgvqE5g/circle_of_protection.html
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