On April 7th, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) submitted a letter to the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee leadership along with 21 other Senate members requesting increased funding for the Army’s Humanitarian Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) program. This is the second year such a letter has been submitted in the Senate chamber, and support has risen greatly from last year’s 16 signatures.
The letter calls for an allocation of $23 million of the fiscal year 2024 budget to the HD R&D program, which develops new and innovative technology that makes demining safer for military and humanitarian demining operations. HALO, an HD R&D partner, both supports the program through field evaluations and uses HD R&D technology in our work around the world. This funding would allow HALO and other demining organizations to respond to new and emerging challenges, safer and more efficiently.
HALO thanks Senator Baldwin and the other 21 Senators who have made humanitarian demining a priority. These technological advancements keep our deminers safe while allowing us to eliminate explosive threats faster and more effectively protect communities.
Read The Letter and Signatories Here
The Senators who signed include: Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sen. Bob Casey, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Mark Kelly, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Sen. Ron Wyden