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Population Report Edition I: January 2004 Printer-friendly version of this page News From Capitol Hill: Congress Completes Action on Fiscal Year 2004 Appropriations Bills News From Capitol Hill Feature Story In the Spotlight Let's Get Active Resources After a protracted battle of wills, the Senate voted in January 65-28 to send the FY 2004 omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2673) to President Bush for his signature. In November, a House-Senate conference committee agreed to a final version of the seven-bill omnibus measure, which was approved by the House on December 8. The Senate delayed consideration until this month. Programs funded through passage of the seven appropriations bills had been operating at FY 2003 levels under a continuing resolution that expired on January 31, 2004. See the Final Fiscal Year 2004 funding levels for selected family planning programs. What does this mean for UNFPA? Also contained within the final passed omnibus appropriations bill was the stipulation that the President must make a (public) determination in order for him to continue to withhold the US contribution for UNFPA. This means that we must continue to talk about and publicize our support for UNFPA's work during the coming months to place pressure on the Bush Administration. US support for UNFPA is critical for women and families around the world. Find out more about UNFPA Looking Ahead Here at home the President wants to dramatically increase federal support for abstinence only programs in FY2005. Sadly, this medically unproven and scientifically unsubstantiated approach is the ONLY sex education currently supported with federal tax dollars. The President's budget for FY2005 also seeks to limit the allocation for USAID's family planning programs to $425 million- the same as passed for FY2004 and significantly less than what we promised at the 1994 UN Cairo Conference on Population and Development. Through the years we have learned that one of the most effective ways to slow population growth is by insuring access to voluntary family planning. The Bush Administration's support of abstinence only programs and disregard for our commitments to USAID's or UNFPA's family planning programs is NOT a good long-term investment. Talk to others about why supporting family planning IS an investment in our shared environmental future. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club