It is not often that you see these words: members of the US Congress agree on something. But when it comes to the foreign affairs budget, politicians, activists and NGO leaders are collectively pressing for it to be spared any cuts.

Deliberations are underway by the Senate to propose a budget for fiscal year 2017. There is a good chance the budget could be trimmed in the proposal, so a concerted effort is underway to avert any spending reductions.

The White House request of $54.1 billion USD is $400 million less than last year’s, and is 12 percent less than the peak foreign affairs spending in 2010. Each year the White House proposes slight cuts to the budget, and Congress has pushed back to mostly maintain spending levels. It does not look much better when it comes to the House, where the budget committee recommended a budget resolution including a 10 percent cut from current funding levels.

The main concern is that needs are increasing around the world, requiring more cuts the US budget would potentially hamper the ability of the country to respond adequately. Supporters of protecting US foreign affairs spending argue that the US State Department, US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Peace Corps are crucial to US foreign policy as the world faces challenges like the Islamic State, the refugee crisis and the spread of the Zika virus.

“We can’t retreat from the world. Our own national security depends on us being engaged,” said Senator Lindsey Graham in a statement. “I’m the guy who wants to kill off the terrorists, but I also realize that is a limited way to win this war long-term. In some cases, educating a young girl will do more to win this war than dropping any amount of bombs.”

Graham serves as the chairman of the state-foreign operations appropriations subcommittee, providing direct oversight into the foreign affairs activities of the government. Fellow committee member and long vocal supporter of US foreign aid is Senator Patrick Leahy. Despite being political opponents on many other issues, he joined Graham by also making the case that an active and well-supported international engagement can both advance US interests and do good in the world.

And then there is the letter from 16 former Senators, notably including former majority leaders Bill Frist and Tom Daschle, calling for the protection of the foreign affairs budget. Much like the case with Graham and Leahy, the group represents the full spectrum of the two main political parties. Their concern is particularly focused on issues facing the Middle East, and they “fear the United States is not keeping pace with these growing challenges.”

Yesterday, the state-foreign operations appropriations subcommittee held hearings regarding the need to provide humanitarian aid as a way to combat violent extremism. Rockstar and ONE co-founder Bono testified before the committee and echoed Graham’s recent call for a new “Marshall Plan” to provide assistance in the Middle East. It harkens back to the policy used by the US to support countries trying to rebuild following World War II.

“The humanitarian system is faced with a dilemma: while the numbers of people forcibly displaced across the world continues to rise, the funds available for humanitarian aid are not keeping up with the rapidly expanding needs,” said Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in her testimony to the subcommittee.

“The challenges facing the world today, resulting in a historic number of people on the move, underscore the importance of the principles of international refugee protection and international human rights and humanitarian law to keep people safe.”

The federal budget has been ground zero for partisan battles in the legislative branch of the US government in recent years. That will continue, but foreign affairs is an area that is suprisingly getting more attention. The effort seems to have worked. This week's State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which funds 96% of the International Affairs Budget, was only 1 percent below current levels spending levels. While that $600 million is missing in the budget, it is far less than the rumored $4 billion USD, an important step in the right direction.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of each of the partners of Global Citizen.