"Their is no escaping our obligations: our moral obligations as a wise leader and good neighbor in the interdependent community of free nations--our economic obligations as the wealthiest people in a world of largely poor people --and our political obligations as the single largest counter to the adversaries of freedom.“

"To fail to meet those obligations now would be disastrous; and, in the long run, more expensive. For widespread poverty and chaos lead to a collapse of existing political and social structures which would inevitably invite the advance of totalitarianism into every weak and unstable area. Thus our own security would be endangered and our prosperity imperiled. A program of assistance to the underdeveloped nations must continue because the Nation's interest and the cause of political freedom require it.“

John F. Kennedy 1961

On Transformational Foreign Assistance

“For no objective supporter of foreign aid can be satisfied with the existing program ….they are obsolete, inconsistent and unduly rigid and thus unsuited for our present needs and purposes.”
John F. Kennedy, 1961

“The current structure of America's foreign assistance risks incoherent policies and ineffective programs and perhaps even wasted resources.”
Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, 2006

“The US has a proud history of improving the lives of others”
-US Foreign Affairs Budget 2007