On April 27th, Representatives Jackie Speier (D-CA-14) and Bill Johnson (R-OH-6) sent a bipartisan letter to the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee supporting $290 million in funding for State Department global demining programs in the fiscal year 2023 budget.
If included in the budget, this would represent an increase of nearly $36 million from last year’s allocation of $254.6 million.
A total of 105 Representatives signed the letter supporting humanitarian demining programs, breaking the record of 81 signatures supporting the cause last year.
The letter also supports increased funding for critical mine action efforts in Ukraine, which has been widely contaminated with landmines and cluster bombs over the last two months, as well as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Angola, and Zimbabwe.
“On behalf of everyone at The HALO Trust, I would like to thank Representatives Jackie Speier, Bill Johnson for their outstanding leadership on the demining issue, and the 103 other Members of Congress who signed on to show their support. Humanitarian demining programs save lives, support economic development, and advance U.S. national security. By signing on to this letter, these Members are helping to create a safer world.” remarked Kristen Stevens, Head of Congressional Affairs at The HALO Trust (USA).
This letter also has support from Legacies of War, PeaceTrees Vietnam, MAG, FCNL, APOPO, and HI, who were instrumental in helping to secure record levels of Congressional support.
The letter was signed by the following Members of Congress: Reps. Jackie Speier (CA-14), Bill Johnson (OH-6), Alma Adams (NC-12), Colin Allred (TX-32), Karen Bass (CA-37), Don Beyer (VA-8), Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Jamal Bowman (NY-16), Anthony Brown (MD-4), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Tony Cardenas (CA-29), Andre Carson (IN-7), Troy Carter (LA-2), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-27), David Cicilline (RI-1), Steve Cohen (TN-9), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Costa (CA-16), Joe Courtney (CT-2), Rick Crawford (AR-1), Jason Crow (CO-6), Danny Davis (IL-7), Peter DeFazio (OR-4), Diana DeGette (CO-1), Susan DelBene (WA-1), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Tom Emmer (MN-6), Anna Eshoo (CA-18), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), Bill Foster (IL-11), Ruben Gallego (AZ-7), John Garamendi (CA-3), Chuy Garcia (IL-4), Raul Grijalva (AZ-3), Jahana Hayes (CT-5), Jim Himes (CT-4), Steven Horsford (NV-4), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Sara Jacobs (CA-53), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Hank Johnson (GA-4), John Katko (NY-24), Bill Keating (MA-9), Robin Kelly (IL-2), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-8), Rick Larsen (WA-2), John Larson (CT-1), Andy Levin (MI-9), Mike Levin (CA-49), Ted Lieu (CA-33), Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Stephen Lynch (MA-8), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Brian Mast (FL-18), Lucy McBath (GA-6), Donald McEachin (VA-4), Jim McGovern (MA-2), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), Peter Meijer (MI-3), Joe Morelle (NY-25), Jerry Nadler (NY-10), Donald Norcross (NJ-1), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-1), Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Frank Pallone (NJ-6), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Chris Pappas (NH-1), Donald Payne (NJ-10), Dean Phillips (MN-3), Chellie Pingree (ME-1), Jamie Raskin (MD-8), Deborah Ross (NC-2), Bobby Rush (IL-1), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Linda Sanchez (CA-38), John Sarbanes (MD-3), Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), Adam Schiff (CA-28), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Kim Schrier (WA-8), Brad Sherman (CA-30), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Albio Sires (NJ-8), Adam Smith (WA-9), Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), Darren Soto (FL-9), Abigail Spanberger (VA-7), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Dina Titus (NV-1), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Lori Trahan (MA-3), Mike Turner (OH-10), Nydia Velazquez (NY-7), Peter Welch (VT-1), Susan Wild (PA-7).
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