ACTION: Stop Elon Musk - Protect Humanitarian Aid

By, Asher Moss, President of Students for Humanitarian Aid

studentsforhumanitarianaid@gmail.com 

As you may have heard, Elon Musk and Donald Trump are dismantling USAID. Despite making up less than 1% of the federal budget, humanitarian aid saves millions of lives every year.

Here are just a few examples of what USAID does for America and the world. 

1. Disaster Assistance Response Teams

• Provide disaster relief and contain diseases before they reach the US. 

• The Trump Administration has failed to effectively respond to an Ebola outbreak in Uganda due to the shutdown of USAID. Ebola could reach the US. Diseases do not know borders.

2. PEPFAR or the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

• PEPFAR delivers lifesaving HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention services.

• It’s saved 25 million lives.

• It makes up 0.001% of the federal budget.

3. Food for Peace

• Food for Peace distributes food grown by American farmers to people starving around the world.

• USAID spends $2 billion a year on crops grown in America and partners with 23 farms in Florida. 

• Due to the USAID shutdown, over 50,000 Americans have lost their jobs. 

• $489 million worth of food is currently rotting at a port in Houston instead of being shipped to Sudan, Haiti, and other countries where people are starving. 

So what can you do: 

1. Call your Members of Congress. A sample script is below. Look up their numbers here: https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/ 

   • If you live in Brian Mast’s district, here’s who to call:

     1. Brian Mast - (202) 225-3026

     2. Rick Scott - (202) 224-5274

     3. Ashley Moody - (202) 224-3041

2. Send handwritten letters. Office’s don’t get that many handwritten letters nowadays. They make an impact!

3. Repost these or similar posts 

   • https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AD4xUuSh7/ 

   • https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14rjUZmPcV/

4. If you live in Brian Mast’s district, send an email to his top staffer on humanitarian aid. Email Joe Foltz at joe.foltz@mail.house.gov. A sample email is below. 

   • As the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Brian Mast has been leading the campaign to destroy humanitarian aid. 

5. Share this message. The world’s richest oligarchs are taking food from the world’s poorest children. If we don’t stand up now, no one will. 

   
   

Note: Meeting with Congressional staff can be a super powerful way to impact policy. If you successfully schedule a meeting, please reach out to Asher Moss at StudentsForHumanitarianAid@gmail.com. Asher will connect you with nonpartisan experts at the ONE Foundation who can provide talking points and/or attend a meeting with you.

Sample Scripts Below - feel free to go off script. Always be respectful and apolitical.

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Phone Call Script:

Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I am a constituent from [Your City, Florida, Zip].

I’m calling to express my deep concern over the dismantling of humanitarian aid programs. The consequences are already dire—50,000 Americans have lost their jobs and the US failed to contain an Ebola outbreak in Uganda. Without HIV/AIDS treatment provided by USAID, an estimated 296,000 people will lose their lives in the next six months. If these programs remain offline, it will create a strategic void that China will fill.

I urge [Senator/Representative] [Last Name] to support humanitarian aid initiatives, particularly proven programs like the President’s Malaria Initiative and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which have saved millions of lives.

I would appreciate a response regarding [Senator/Representative] [Last Name]’s position on this issue. I also would like to meet with [Senator/Representative] [Last Name] or a member of their staff.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your response.

Sample Letter - Feel free to make the letter your own.

[Your Name]

[Your Address]

[City, State, Zip]

[Your Email]

[Your Phone Number]

[Date]

The Honorable Representative Brian Mast

2182 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

(Change the address if you’re from a different Congressional District)

Dear Representative Mast,

I am writing as your constituent to express my deep concern over the dismantling of humanitarian aid programs. The consequences are already dire—50,000 Americans have lost their jobs and the US failed to contain an Ebola outbreak in Uganda. Without HIV/AIDS treatment provided by USAID, an estimated 296,000 people will lose their lives in the next six months. If these programs remain offline, it will create a strategic void that China will fill.

I would appreciate a response regarding your position on this issue and the opportunity to meet with you or a member of your staff.

Thank you for your time and leadership.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Sample email - Please write your own subject line and feel free to make the content your own. 

To: joe.foltz@mail.house.gov

Send this if you’re one of Brian Mast’s constituents. 

Hi Joe,

I am writing as one of Brian Mast’s constituents to request a meeting to discuss humanitarian aid programs. 

The consequences of the USAID shutdown are already dire—50,000 Americans have lost their jobs and the US failed to contain an Ebola outbreak in Uganda. Without HIV/AIDS treatment provided by USAID, an estimated 296,000 people will lose their lives in the next six months. If these programs remain offline, it will create a strategic void that China will fill.

Please let me know when you might have time to meet. Thank you for your time and leadership.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

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Asher Moss, President of Students for Humanitarian Aid

studentsforhumanitarianaid@gmail.com 

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