Chairman Menendez: House Republicans’ Foreign Policy Cuts Threaten the United States

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement in response to the House Appropriations Subcommittee’s markup of the 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Funding bill proposal to cut the international affairs budget by 31 percent:

“House Republicans’ proposal to gut our foreign affairs budget would be catastrophic to U.S. global leadership and a strategic gift to China. Their proposed cuts would force the State Department and USAID to dramatically reduce staffing for programs vital to our national interests, including securing critical supply chains, promoting strategic trade and investment, and supporting democracy, including countering weaponized propaganda from China, Russia, and other malign actors working directly against U.S. interests.

“Playing culture wars with our foreign policy agenda undermines our strategic objectives to address climate change, global health, and empower women and marginalized populations. I strongly encourage the House of Representatives to reject this misguided agenda, and instead invest in a foreign affairs budget that furthers the United States’ objectives on the world stage.”