Jackson Secures "The Whole Thing" - $250 Million For Africa Relief

Today the House agreed by voice vote to include a Jackson Amendment for $250 million to the $82 billion Supplemental Wartime Appropriations Act (HR 1268). The Jackson Amendment included $150 million for food aid to the Sudan and increased by $100 million disaster relief and refugee assistance aid to Sudan and other parts of Africa.

Jackson said, "Today good people stood up for what's right to help others who are truly needy in the world."

Last week, the Appropriations Committee had accepted a Jackson Amendment to increase Sudanese food aid by $150 million, but rejected the $100 million for disaster relief and refugee assistance. Jackson's committee amendment restored $150 million in cuts for emergency food aid designated for Sudan in the president's budget request. The amendment passed by one vote, 32-to-31. It got the support of every Democrat on the Committee and three Republicans.

In Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo at least 1,320 people are dying each day - every three days for them is like their own 9/11, every seven months is like their own tsunami. About 30% of the people in Darfur, Sudan are starving. The World Food Program estimates that they will need to provide food assistance for 5.6 million people in Sudan and 2.3 million of them are in Darfur.

Jackson said, "Congress and the President know that. They have already declared that genocide is occurring in Sudan. Today, America exercised its moral responsibility to act.

"I am committed to fighting for Sudan and other African nations, to make sure they receive their fair share of foreign assistance. America cannot ignore whole regions of the globe. We must embrace them because it is the right thing to do," Jackson concluded.

Jackson has served on the House Appropriations Committee for six years. He's on the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs, which funds disaster aid and refugee assistance.