We booked the smallest room. Big mistake.

We booked the smallest room on Capitol Hill for our USAID Flag Day party. The House is out of session, it’s July, and we figured we’d be lucky to fill a corner.

Then 150 people RSVP’d. Seventy-four of them are congressional staffers, from both parties.

So we’ve moved to the largest room in the bar, and we now owe Bullfeathers $3,500.

Chip in here → https://givebutter.com/A4AL

Sponsor the Party for USAID

Most receptions at Bullfeathers are paid for by a trade association with its logo on the napkins. This one is being paid for by teachers, veterans, students, farmers, and USAID employees. Nobody is writing us a five-figure check, which is the point.

Tonight is the next chapter of USAID Flag Day. Over the past several weeks, 581 Americans from all 50 states bought more than 1,000 USAID flags for their Members of Congress. We delivered one to every congressional office, along with a briefing showing exactly how foreign assistance benefits each state. Members of Congress were surprised that those tokens of American leadership came not from billionaires, but from their own constituents.

Tomorrow morning, 74 more staffers will walk into work carrying a flag somebody back home paid for. Members of Congress act when they know their constituents are watching.

Keep the Pressure Up

For less than one percent of the federal budget, USAID has saved more than 90 million lives. It has helped feed families with crops grown by American farmers, strengthened allies that became major export markets for American businesses, and projected American leadership around the world.

Then, Washington pulled the plug. Researchers estimate that more than one million people have died since those cuts began. Meanwhile, China has expanded its influence across the developing world as the United States has stepped back.

Members of Congress from both parties have told us they want to rebuild America’s development programs. But they’ll only act when they know people back home are paying attention. That’s how movements grow. There are no billionaires writing checks for us, just hundreds of ordinary people who decided USAID is worth fighting for.

If you’re in Washington, doors open at 5:00 p.m → https://forms.gle/jx5twWtqfTj7W2af6

Help us cover the room tonight → https://givebutter.com/A4AL

P.S. We’re at $820 of $3,500 as of 2:05 pm.

Sponsor the Party for USAID

P.P.S I’ve also shared a few photos from USAID Flag Day below.