Chris Dodd: “I feel very strongly that given the myriad challenges facing the United States around the world, the international…”

“I feel very strongly that given the myriad challenges facing the United States around the world, the international affairs budget needs be more robustly funded. As my colleagues know, this budget supports the people and programs devoted to strengthening alliances, promoting peaceful relationships among nations, boosting economic development, eliminating poverty, and explaining and representing U.S. policy abroad. As my colleagues also know, the international affairs budget constitutes just over 1 percent of Federal spending, yet it funds some of the most essential components of America's foreign policy, including our diplomatic service, foreign aid, international health programs, and emergency relief operations among others. The international affairs budget provides the funding for the most important tools we have to implement our foreign policy.”