U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) has taken a commanding lead in calling for full funding of the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 International Affairs Budget, which finances strategic diplomatic and development tools critical to protecting national security, growing the economy and easing global humanitarian crises.
“At a time when we face multiple national security challenges around the world, we continue to believe that deep cuts to the International Affairs Budget would be misguided and even dangerous,” wrote Sen. Young in an April 30 bipartisan letter sent to U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT).
Joining as co-signers on the letter were U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Dick Durbin (D-IL).
Senate appropriators will consider the FY 2019 International Affairs Budget as part of the President’s FY 2019 budget request, which proposes $39.3 billion for U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) efforts in four key areas: advancing peace and security; expanding American prosperity and influence; addressing international crises; and making efficient use of taxpayer resources, according to the State Department.
The senators have requested in their letter that Senate appropriations leaders ensure this “robust budget.”
Current national security threats, they pointed out, require that the United States use its full range of non-military tools to enhance safety. “The diplomatic and development capabilities funded through the International Affairs Budget can help avert conflict, shorten its duration, and prevent its return,” the senators wrote. “Fewer and shorter conflicts mean fewer American servicemembers in harm’s way and greater security for the American people.”
The senators also noted that U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have repeatedly emphasized the need for a robust FY 2019 International Affairs Budget to fund the nation’s diplomatic and development capabilities “as a key component of our national security.”
Also toward bolstering their case to fully fund the FY 2019 International Affairs Budget, the senators added that in February, more than 150 retired generals and admirals supported such action, as did a group of more than 1,200 military veterans.
“There is no question that we must conduct assertive oversight, scrutinize the value of every program, and eliminate waste and inefficiency — including within the International Affairs Budget,” concluded the lawmakers. “However, deep cuts to the International Affairs Budget would undermine our country’s economic and national security interests, as well as the humanitarian and democratic principles we support.”