State of the Union October 2017

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Note from the President

The bills we love are moving! The READ Act passed and was signed into law by the White House. The Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act passed in the House. And the Senate Foreign Relations Committee moved the AGOA & MCA Modernization Act forward… All of this occurred in the past 30 days! The great advocacy and mobilizing we saw this summer is moving these bills through. Let’s keep the pressure up!

~Clint Borgen
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Political Updates
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H.R.2408 Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act has PASSED in the House of Representatives. Another great job, team! Read the press release from the House Foreign Affairs Committee here. We are now focused on the Senate. Keep up your emails and calls to your Senators!

This week, in a press release about recognizing the International Day of the Girl, Chairman Royce of the House Foreign Affairs Committee also mentioned that he is proud to have been a supporter of the  READ Act H.R.601 and H.R.2408. Chairman Royce reiterated his support for protecting the rights of and empowering women and girls around the globe.

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Lobbying Efforts

• Total Lobbying Meetings in September: 19
• Total Lobbying Meetings Since the Start of the Year: 367. We are getting closer to our annual goal of 400 meetings for this year!
• 2017 Lobbying Meeting Goal: 400 [hr_invisible]

Advocacy Emails

• Total Advocacy Emails in September: 4,767 emails sent. With this comes another record!
• Total Advocacy Emails Since the Start of the Year:  Borgen Project interns and volunteers have mobilized ~51,000 emails to Congress since the start of the year!
• % of Congress Emailed Since January: 96%
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Congressional Office Meetings[hr_invisible]

Regional Director, Antonina “Nina” Mangiola, with Congressman Ted Yoho (R – FL 3rd).

 

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Congressman Yoho was first elected in 2012 and is currently serving his third term in the House of Representatives. He is also the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. According to his bio, Congressman Yoho’s “approach to government is guided by constitutional principles, limited government, fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility, and free enterprise.” In the past, he was not a supporter of foreign aid. His views on this issue seem to have changed and he is the original sponsor of H.R.2747 Economic Growth and Development Act. This bill was introduced into the House in May 2017 and currently has the bipartisan support of 23 co-sponsors – 14 Republicans and 9 Democrats.

Here is an excerpt from a forthcoming article by Nina about the foreign aid budget, which includes directs quotes taken from her meeting with Congressman Yoho.

In response to the proposed budget cuts and these growing concerns, Rep. Ted Yoho introduced the Economic Growth and Development Act (H.R. 2747). This legislation will create an interagency mechanism that will open up U.S. foreign assistance funding to the private sector. This interagency mechanism proposed in this legislation will also increase efficiency in planning and coordinating with the donor-recipient countries in order to pursue long-term economic improvements. Moreover, it will require an annual report to be submitted by the President that will evaluate the effectiveness of the interagency foreign assistance programs. After speaking with Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida himself, he stated that “we are going through tough fiscal times as a nation and we need to make sure that [foreign] aid is used effectively”. Although Rep. Yoho had initially wanted to eliminate the foreign aid budget due to previous inefficiencies, he stated that “it is important to use the money invested [in order] to create stronger relationships with countries that can potentially become U.S. trading partners”. Rep. Yoho, along with many other leaders, recognize that targeted foreign aid focused on key developmental issues can be mutually beneficial for the U.S. and aid recipient countries.

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Regional Director, Haley Gouge, met with staffers for Senator Pat Toomey (R – PA).[one_half first][/one_half]

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Warren’s Address
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Here is the latest from Warren about the goings-on in Washington D.C.

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Content Team Updates
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Here are some stats on visitors to our site in September: Top 10 Countries and breakdown by age range and gender.

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HR Team Updates
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Recognition
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Congratulations to the following team members that have achieved Borgen Project Honors & Recognition.

Chief Closer Award:  Carrie Clower, Regional Director; Elizabeth Menkowitz, PR/Marketing team; Emily Schwartz, Regional Director; Haley Gouge, Regional Director; Kamilla (Kent) Szklarska, PR/Marketing team;  Kristen Nixon, Content team;  Megan Crain, Political Affairs team;  and Patrick Greeley, Content team.

 

Visit the Our Team Members page and read about success stories with our organization.
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Getting the Word Out
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Letters to the Editor
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Content team member, Christiana Lano, in the New Haven Register – Busting myths about our nation’s foreign aid.

PR/Marketing team member, Katie Larsen, in the Independent – Foreign aid:  A new perspective.

Content team member, Tess Hinteregger, in the Island Packet – Foreign aid reaps benefits for U.S.
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One-Mile Campaign

Check out these photos from PR/Marketing team member, Kenna Johnson.

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Fliers

Here are some outreach fliers designed by our talented team members.

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YouTube
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See how easy it is to Call Congress in this video created by Political Affairs team member, Christianna Palermo.

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Fundraising

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