Foreign policy in a time of crisis

This isn’t a great time for America. A lot of people right now are thinking about themselves, which is fine; we all have things going on that demand out attention. However, others are thinking about the little guy: the people in the third world who don’t have access to reliable food/water/shelter. These are people who were struggling before, and COVID-19 ripped the rug right out from under them.

Tuberculosis is an example of this. A disease that kills millions in hundreds of countries a year is having funding stripped away from it as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Congress has a bill, currently in the Senate, known as the End Tuberculosis Now Act. It is currently in the Committee of Foreign Relations, but that doesn’t mean senators can’t put their names on it as co-sponsors, showing that they support the bill. I’d like to thank Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., for co-sponsoring this important legislation.

However, just because a handful of senators has supported this bill doesn’t mean it’s going to pass. It needs to gain more traction, or that one-third infected by tuberculosis might as well be left to die.

So, what can you do? You can take 30 seconds out of your day and call Congress. You can find your senators’ phone numbers online and call, saying you would like them to support X.

X doesn’t have to be the bill I’ve talked about, but it should be something you believe in. I hope you will take the time to support an issue you believe in. THOMAS MICHAEL

PENLAND Indiana Township