Joaquin Castro: “I am here this evening joined by colleagues from the Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss President Trump's extreme…”

“I am here this evening joined by colleagues from the Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss President Trump's extreme, proposed cuts to the International Affairs Budget. The President's budget proposal would reduce funding for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, what we know as USAID, by nearly a third. The proposal would reduce overall funding for the International Affairs Budget by $17.4 billion, or 31 percent. This would be a devastating reduction. U.S. diplomats and development experts work to shape a freer, more secure, and more prosperous world while advancing U.S. interests abroad. They build relationships with foreign counterparts and resolve disputes to preserve peace and reduce the need for military action. They also provide critical services to U.S. citizens living and working overseas and screen people seeking visas to visit the United States. This work would all be compromised by the administration's funding cuts. These cuts could also undercut President Trump's purported priorities. For example, these reductions could interrupt the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism and U.S. efforts to disrupt money laundering and terror financing. Funding could be slashed for nonproliferation, counternarcotics, and consular affairs--efforts specifically focused on protecting Americans from foreign threats.…”