Peacebuilding Organizations Call for Congressional Oversight on Peacebuilding Funds

November 5, 2026

Dear Chair Cole, Chair Collins, Ranking Member DeLauro, and Vice Chair Murray,

On behalf of the undersigned coalition of peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and humanitarian organizations, we write to express our grave concern for the Trump Administration’s decision to contradict congressional intent and reprogram funds from critical conflict and atrocity prevention and peacebuilding accounts, redirecting these vital resources toward “exigent energy security needs for partners.”

We greatly appreciate the difficult work and negotiations required to pass the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) National Security and Related Appropriations Act, and for the bipartisan support for peacebuilding and prevention efforts within it. We are deeply concerned by the administration’s efforts to reject congressional intent in favor of short-sighted goals that undermine long-term U.S. national security interests. Congress created and funded these programs with strong bipartisan support precisely because prevention is far less costly, both in taxpayer dollars and in human lives, than responding to war, mass atrocities, and humanitarian crises after the fact. Research by the World Bank shows that every dollar invested in preventing violent conflict saves $26 - $103 in the cost of conflict.

While the determination, dated September 30, 2026, includes the reprogramming of FY26 National Security Investment Programs (NSIP) from nine sector allocations, we are particularly concerned about the following allocations:

• $2.85 million of the $3 million dedicated to Atrocities Prevention: Redirecting nearly all of the Atrocities Prevention allocation in NSIP will end efforts to interrupt cycles of conflict, equip front-line responders and protectors with vital resources, develop early warning networks and systems, and support survivors of atrocities.
• $8 million of the $16 million allocated to the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI): Cutting half of YALI’s funding severely curtails support to youth leaders with the skills to foster good governance, economic prosperity and sustainable peace in their communities across Sub-Saharan Africa at a moment when violent conflict and democratic backsliding are surging.  
• $18.75 million of the $37.5 million for the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA): Halving this bipartisan program erodes the foundational work of grassroots peacebuilding that promotes peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians, encourages economic development, advances a sustainable two-state solution, contributes to an inclusive, long-term solution in Israel-Palestine, and mitigates the need for costly future security and humanitarian interventions.  

The Administration has failed to deploy these funds in line with congressional intent at a time of acute global need and clear programming opportunities. Freezing MEPPA initiatives that were ready for immediate rollout abruptly stops vital work bringing Israelis and Palestinians together for rapid de-escalation efforts and long-term peace. In South Sudan, targeted atrocity prevention efforts in Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites were discontinued just as spillover from the war in Sudan and internal political volatility pushed the country towards its most perilous period since the 2018 peace agreement. Atrocity prevention programming was also discontinued in the Central African Republic, weakening initiatives by community and faith leaders to prevent and respond to violence against civilians, including aggression by foreign mercenaries and mass child abductions conducted by the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).  

The current global energy crisis is driven in significant part by ongoing wars, which have severely disrupted critical supply chains, damaged regional infrastructure, and destabilized energy markets. Transferring appropriated funds away from prevention and peacebuilding efforts will not resolve the current energy crisis. It further undermines bipartisan congressional support and intent to fund sustainable solutions that aimed to de-escalate conflicts and maintain global supply chain stability.

We urge Congress to exercise robust oversight of this reprogramming action and, as Congress finalizes the FY27 Appropriation bills, we call for strengthening guardrails to ensure the Administration honors congressional intent in future appropriations. Cutting the core tools of conflict prevention to react to an energy crisis undermines critical U.S. partnerships to deal with widening instability down the road.

Sincerely,

Accountability Lab Nigeria
Aid on the Hill
Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP)
Alliance for Peacebuilding
Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
Disabled Children’s Fund
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
Humanity United Action
Invisible Children
Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology
Journal of Social Encounters
Jubilee Campaign
Minnesota Peace Project
No Business with Genocide
Nonviolent Peaceforce
Partners Global
Pax Christi New York State
Peace Direct
PAEMA
Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness
Saferworld
Search for Common Ground
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas - Justice Team
United Church of Christ
The United Methodist Church-General Board of Church and Society
Women for Women International