Kay Granger: “Woman, I rise in opposition to the Jordan amendment. This amendment would cut an additional $2.5 billion from the State…”

“Woman, I rise in opposition to the Jordan amendment. This amendment would cut an additional $2.5 billion from the State, Foreign Operations title of the CR after the subcommittee has brought significant and thoughtful cuts to the table. This title is already $10 billion below 2010, including supplementals. To achieve that, we put lower priority programs on pause, reduced and eliminated underperforming, wasteful and duplicative programs and zeroed out administrative priorities like climate change. The programs that are funded in the State, Foreign Operations title of this bill protect our top national security priorities. The gentleman claims his amendment exempts national security, but it does not exempt the national security provisions in the State, Foreign Operations title. The Jordan amendment reduces U.S. operations in frontline states including Afghanistan and Iraq. The subcommittee has tried to responsibly protect these funds from drastic reductions in the State, Foreign Operations title, given that we have men and women in harm's way in our civilian forces just as we do in our military forces. Aside from cutting $450 million from security assistance, the amendment would cut $55 million from the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund. Israel is protected from this amendment's cuts, but Egypt, Jordan, Afghanistan, and Iraq are not.”