Writing in Roll Call, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Aaron Schock (R-IL) point out that a rare bipartisan consensus exists on the issue of foreign aid. “With partisanship at an all-time high, it is no small feat for Democrats and Republicans to be united on a major issue,” they write. Reps. Connolly and Schock point that 200 members came together last year to sign a letter urging the president to request a robust international affairs budget. This year, more than 245 signed the Letter.

Online in Huffington Post, Richard Bearns, president of World Vision, and James A. Bell, of The Boeing Company, say that private and public sectors need to come together to support investments in diplomacy and development overseas. “Though it may not seem natural that one of the largest international charities and the world’s leading aerospace firm would join together on an issue of such critical public importance, World Vision and The Boeing Company are firm believers that the U.S. needs to do more to invest in people throughout the world,” they write. Bearns and Bell, co-chairs of the dinner tonight, call Secretary Clinton a longtime advocate of the smart power approach who is working to translate this policy into reality. “If America will step up and lead with a strengthened commitment to development and diplomacy, and the funding to see it all through, we can go a long way to ensuring that better, safer world.”