At the outset of this "lame-duck" session that will conclude the terms of lawmakers not re-elected, the OGR "will be focusing its efforts on the conference committee that will reconcile appropriations bills from the Senate and House," said Alex Baumgarten, OGR's international policy analyst.

Baumgarten joined OGR Director Maureen Shea in writing a recent letter to committee members "on behalf of The Episcopal Church, USA, to bring five important issues in the bill to your attention: (1) Maximum funding for global HIV/AIDS programs, and specifically, the Global Fund; (2) Funding to combat genocide in the Sudan; (3) A restoration of funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); (4) Full funding for the Millennium Challenge; and (5) Limiting funding for new nuclear-weapons programs." The letter makes the following observations:

HIV/AIDS Pandemic: The United Nations' newest report on Global AIDS, released earlier this year, shows a sharp increase in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS worldwide and calls upon nations to increase assistance to international efforts to combating the pandemic. These programs are critical to the 27 million Anglicans living in Sub-Saharan Africa, and hundreds of millions of other people in the developing world. Advocates are particularly concerned that too small a percentage of the total appropriation is being devoted to the Global Fund -- an essential component of the U.S.'s overall effort to combat the pandemic.

Sudan: The Senate's Foreign Operations bill provides $300 million in funding to combat genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan, both for disaster and famine relief and to provide logistical support for African Union peacekeepers in the region. The House bill does not contain these funds and the letter urges conferees to adopt the funding levels for Darfur included in the Senate bill.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): UNFPA is the largest internationally funded source of population assistance to developing countries, providing essential services in addressing the health needs of women and families in the developing world. The letter urges adoption of the Senate position of providing funding for the UNFPA, which the House does not.

Millennium Challenge Accounts (MCAs): The U.S. government, with leadership from the Bush administration, established the MCAs in order to provide the first major boost in development assistance in decades. The program is designed to reward democratic countries that are fighting corruption and investing in the health and education of people while also creating an incentive for other countries to follow that lead. Neither House has passed funding at the level requested, $2.5 billion, by the President's budget, although the House figure of $1.25 billion is higher than the Senate's.

Funding for New Nuclear-Weapons System: The Bush administration has asked Congress for $36.6 million for research and development of two new nuclear-weapons systems. The House voted earlier this year to block funding for these programs, but the Senate narrowly failed to do so. Those oppose to the initiative say that as the United States wages a global campaign against terrorism and seeks to safeguard against the possibility of a future terrorist attack that involves nuclear weapons, it is inappropriate to be pioneering the development of new nuclear armaments. The letter urges conferees to adopt the House position and block funding, Baumgarten said.

The Office of Government Relations and the Episcopal Public Policy Network (www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn) have been active on these issues throughout the 108th Congress and most, if not all, will have to be fought again in the next Congress. "We hope these final days will produce a strong record to build on in the years ahead," Baumgarten said, "and we are grateful for all the grassroots support we have received this year."