The Peace Corps

 Anyone who knows me knows that my service in the Peace Corps was the making of me. I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Guatemala after finishing my Nursing degree.

I always intended to serve again when I retired and am in the process to do so.

Now, that plan is under threat. Because The Peace Corps is on the chopping block.

The NPCA reports: The House of Representatives has before it the Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations bill (H.R. 8595) that funds the State Department and other international program spending, including funding for the Peace Corps.
One of those amendments (Amendment #137), proposed by Representative Scott Perry (R-PA) would eliminate all funding for the Peace Corps.
 On June 23, the Rules Committee advanced the bill for final House action, including the consideration of dozens of amendments.
While a vote was originally expected on June 25th, that vote has now been postponed and it is unclear when the bill will come up for consideration. 

But the bill will be back...

I understand some folks don't see the point in funding work overseas. But soft diplomacy is so important. USAID has already been dismantled and we are already seeing problems in tracking an Ebola outbreak. Many have lost access to HIV medications. Not to mention all the resources and materials left behind when these offices were suddenly shuttered. At that time, I worried about the Peace Corps being treated in the same manner, even after decades of success. Now the plan has been shown to everyone.

These programs that are being destroy will be incredibly difficult to recreate, if that is even possible. It breaks my heart to think of a world where The Peace Corps is just a memory.

So if you think there is a place in the world for the Peace Corps, call your congressional representative.