Nothing Says Spring like Appropriations Sign-On Letters! (updated April 9)
Crickett Nicovich, Senior Policy Associate
March 17, 2014
It’s true. Most people view spring as the last of the snowfall, budding blooms, baseball spring training, or renewed allergies. But, if you are a RESULTS activist, springtime means appropriations time!
Since February we’ve had two focuses, getting face-to-face meetings with member of Congress, and making appropriations asks for fiscal year 2015 (FY15). With the President’s budget out and the House State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations setting a deadline of April 4 to submit appropriations requests, we are now in full swing with our appropriations advocacy.
Asking a member of Congress to support appropriations for poverty-focused foreign aid is one of the most powerful requests you can make on the issues of global health, basic education, and economic opportunity this year. The annual appropriations process is a time to influence how we prioritize our funding for issues that provide care and access to services to the most vulnerable, and it is also an opportunity to get your members of Congress to raise their voices on this issue with their peers through congressional “sign-on” letters.
A “sign-on” letter is circulated by members of Congress (like a petition) to get other members of Congress to sign on to show their support for an issue (also called a “Dear Colleague”). These letters can have a lot of sway with appropriators when a strong number of their colleagues are asking them to support a cause – especially if it shows bipartisan support!
Below are two bipartisan Dear Colleague letters to appropriators supporting robust funding for 1). maternal and child health and nutrition and 2). global tuberculosis control.
Check below and continue to check this blog as it will be updated to let you know who has signed on to the letters. You can also find a longer term Congressional Scorecard of actions your representatives and senators have taken over the past 6-7 years through 2014.
CLOSED: SENATE Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Letter
This bipartisan letter asked for robust funding to support maternal and child health, including funding for the GAVI Alliance and nutrition. It is being co-led by Senator Boxer (D-CA) and Senator Collins (R-ME).
23 SIGNERS on MCH letter: Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MI), Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Carl Levin (D-MI), Edward Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Ron Wyden (D-OR)
CLOSED: SENATE bilateral Tuberculosis Letter
This letter asked for $400 million to support bilateral tuberculosis control. It is being led by Senator Brown (D-OH).
12 SIGNERS for Tuberculosis letter: Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Mazie Hirono (D-HI) Edward Markey (D-MA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR)
CLOSED - HOUSE Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Letter
This bipartisan letter asks for robust funding to support maternal and child health, including funding for the GAVI Alliance and nutrition. It is being co-led by Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN), Dave Reichert (R-WA), Lois Capps (D-CA), and Aaron Schock (R-IL).
103 FINAL SIGNERS for FY15 MCH LETTER: (David Reichert (R-WA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Aaron Schock (R-IL), Lois Capps (D-CA), Karen Bass (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Ami Bera (D-CA),Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Bruce Braley (D-IA), Corrine Brown (D-FL), G. K. Butterfield (D-NC), Andre Carson (D-IN), Matt Cartwright (D-PA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), John Conyers (D-MI), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Danny Davis (D-IL), Susan A. Davis (D-CA), Peter DeFrazio (D-OR), John Delany (D-MD), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Suzan Delbene (D-WA), Theodore Deutch (D-FL), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Elliot Engel (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Sam Farr (D-CA), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Alan Grayson (D-FL), Al Green (D-TX), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-CA), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Janice Hahn (D-CA), Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Denny Heck (D-WA), James Himes (D-CT), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Hank Johnson (D-GA), William Keating (D-MA), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Sander Levin (D-MI), John Lewis (D-GA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Jim McDermott (D-WA), James McGovern (D-MA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), Gwen Moore (D-WI), James Moran (D-VA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Beto O'Rouke (D-TX), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), David Price (D-NC), Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Dennis Ross (R-FL), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Bobby Scott (D-VA), David Scott (D-GA), Bradley Schneider (D-IL), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA), John Tierney (D-MA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Filemon Vela (D-TX), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VA), Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
CLOSED - House Tuberculosis Letter:
This bipartisan letter asked for $400 million for global tuberculosis eradication efforts and is being co-led by Representatives Eliot Engel (D-NY), Gene Green (D-TX), Don Young (R-AK).
43 FINAL SIGNERS for FY15 TUBERCULOSIS LETTER: Eliot Engel (D-NY), Don Young (R-AK), Gene Green (D-TX), Ami Bera, M.D., Corrine Brown (D-FL), Andre Carson (D-IN), Kathy Castor (D-FL), David Cicilline (D-RI), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Theodore E. Deutch (D-FL), Donna F. Edwards (D-MD), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Alan Grayson (D-FL), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Denny Heck (D-WA), James A. Himes (D-CT), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Michael M. Honda (D-CA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), David E. Price (D-NC), Charlie Rangel (D-NY), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-MP), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Filemon Vela (D-TX), Henry A. Waxman (D-CA)
Additional Notes on Appropriations:
Appropriations deadlines are set in the House:
- The final deadline for the House State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations is April 4. All other members of Congress must set earlier internal deadlines to meet the April 4th committee deadline.
- Some House offices have internal deadlines starting this week for their appropriations requests while some offices are setting their internal deadlines in the next two weeks.
- The only way to know a particular office deadline is to look it up on their website or to call/email the office to check.
- The Senate deadlines are still to come.
Making the Asks:
·Each office may require you to fill out a form to make an official appropriations request for their office. If you have any questions or need support in filling out the form, please let me know! Contact me at [email protected]
·All of our appropriations requests can be found here: http://www.results.org/issues/appropriations/
·And here are links to our February Action sheet on writing to members about appropriations requests and all of the links to our appropriations memos:
February Action Sheet: Urge Congress to Support FY2015 Foreign Aid Funding Priorities
FY 2015 Appropriations Request Sheets:
o FY 2015 Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Request
o FY 2015 Tuberculosis Request (bilateral)
o FY 2015 Child Health and Nutrition Request
o FY 2015 Global Partnership for Education Request
o FY 2015 Microfinance Request
Reminder: Prioritize your asks – don’t ask for everything but really pick what will work best with your members.