Editor: 
My name is Mei Sze and I care deeply about ending poverty because my family comes from China and Vietnam. My grandparents and parents braved the tumultuous Vietnam War where poverty and hunger were widespread. I feel fortunate to live in America, and I want the rest of the world to have the opportunities I have had. For instance, my father had to stop school to work for his family after the third grade.

Just like last year, the White House has released a national budget proposal that drastically reduces foreign aid. What does this money do? For starters it ensures that millions of people get treatment for tuberculosis, which is currently the world’s biggest infectious killer. It also helps babies get the medical care and nutrition they need to grow into healthy kids and gives girls a chance to go to school.

Cutting these programs denies millions of people a future. This is not who we are. Congress knows this and took action last year to stop the proposed cuts. Congress must continue to take big steps with even more intensity now.

Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris should sign the dear colleague letters for appropriations for Maternal and Child Health, bilateral tuberculosis funding, Global Partnership for Education and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.