Right now, conflicts from Gaza to Ukraine are limiting communities' access to food and water, collapsing healthcare systems, and destroying safe shelters. These urgent crises have only added to the millions of people already in need of humanitarian assistance around the world – especially women and children.
There are no limits to the potential for human suffering unless we rise to meet this moment with global solidarity, resources, and diplomacy.
As Congress debates additional humanitarian assistance funding before the end of the year, CARE advocates are defending communities' needs to move from crisis to recovery. Without Congressional action, humanitarian needs will continue to grow, and vulnerable people will continue to suffer.
Tell Congress today to stand up for people caught in crisis in Gaza, Ukraine, and around the world by passing life-saving humanitarian assistance funding and ensuring the U.S. is a global leader in the fight against human suffering.
I write today to express my support for increased humanitarian assistance to support people in need in Gaza, Ukraine, and around the world. Today, nearly 300 million people are in need of assistance and protection. This year, the United Nations estimates that 46.4 billion will be required to respond to the assessed needs in 72 countries. This estimate comes after conflict broke out in Gaza, as well as the proliferation of crisis in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Sudan, coupled with natural disasters like the earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria in February. These challenges demonstrate the urgency of emergency supplemental and sustainable resources to keep pace with need.
This is why I am joining CARE Action advocates in urging you to help save lives and reduce the suffering of the most vulnerable by supporting humanitarian assistance (International Disaster Assistance, Migration Refugee Assistance, and Food for Peace) funding in any emergency supplemental package. In doing so, you can help ensure the U.S. continues to provide robust and needs-based humanitarian assistance that addresses growing global food insecurity, promotes durable solutions to displacement, works to achieve political solutions to crises, and supports communities to recover and rebuild their lives.
Cuts to humanitarian assistance come with real consequences. Every one percent cut in food assistance risks pushing more than 400,000 people towards the brink of starvation. The World Food Program estimates that, as a result of plummeting funding, an additional 24 million people could slip into emergency hunger over the next 12 months.
In areas where humanitarian assistance is a lifeline for communities, we are already seeing that cuts to assistance are increasing people's reliance on or susceptibility to harmful coping strategies – including early or forced marriage, child labor, selling assets, increased school dropouts, forced recruitment, drug addiction, labor exploitation, and other risks.
I urge you to support the inclusion of globally flexible humanitarian assistance in any supplemental that comes before Congress.
Thank you for your leadership at this critical time.
