Dear Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor, and Minority Leader Pelosi: It is shocking to imagine that in the next major global humanitarian crisis – the next Haiti, Tsunami, or Darfur – the United States might simply fail to show up. Yet that is the very real risk posed by H.R. 1. The bill cuts global disaster aid by 67%, global refugee assistance by 45%, and global food relief by 41% relative to FY10 enacted levels. Addressing the drivers of the national debt is wise. Abruptly reducing US humanitarian commitments in order to save less than one quarter of one percent of total discretionary spending is not. These cuts would imperil the longstanding US commitment to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance for those threatened by disaster and conflict.

The United States has – with strong bipartisan support – long been the backbone of worldwide humanitarian response. This US leadership saves hundreds of thousands of lives each year. With the fiscal year nearly half over, the move to halve US humanitarian budgets would leave the US without even a minimal level of humanitarian operating resources for the rest of the fiscal year. This could potentially cost many lives.