Patrick Leahy

How are you going to do that when a government in Kabul turns power over to warlords, and oftentimes corrupt groups in other parts of the country, and say, 'Here, go ahead and have Sharia law. Do whatever you want.'

I think USAID is being asked to do the impossible in Afghanistan.

Cholera season is coming.

Under Senator Leahy's leadership--he'll be too modest to tell you--we actually--he actually helped fund, creating a factory where they made low-cost limbs to put people literally back on their feet again.

I want that work to show. I mean, I don't want it to get consumed in this.

In your congressional budget justification there is a statement that USAID is conducting a series of business process reviews...

But, what are some of the things that will have to be cut if your budget falls short?

It's not a question of whether your mission is integral to our national security--everyone from President Reagan to General Petraeus has recognized it is.

I think the bottom line, though, for so many of the things you pointed out that you do and that the United States has to do for its own national security, is that it's hard to do if the resources are cut off.

At some point, we have to pay attention to reality more than rhetoric.

Something that I've been saying for years, so, obviously, I'm agreeing.

Our priorities also must include promoting human rights and tolerance, transparent and accountable government, and the rule of law.

The United States should be a strong voice for people living under repressive, corrupt regimes who are demanding the freedoms we often take for granted.

USAID has an essential role to play in projecting U.S. global leadership and helping to protect U.S. interests around the world.

The United Nations Security Council, in a unanimous vote, imposed sanctions against Libya, which I applaud.

But nobody knew about it. That's the problem.

I don't want to go beyond my time, but you recently gave a speech at George Washington University. You talked about the importance of protecting access to an open and free Internet.

In Libya, the issue is not whether Muammar Gaddafi's regime will end, but when and how it ends and how many people are going to die needlessly before then.

This budget will not solve every problem in the world, but it will at least ensure that the United States is equipped to play a leadership role.

Our combat troops have done their duty, some to the greatest possible sacrifice.

There are issues like human rights, transparent, accountable government, and the rule of law which is why I wrote the Leahy amendment a decade-and-a-half ago, and it was passed with bipartisan support.

If a Secretary of State has credible evidence that a unit of a foreign security force has committed a gross violation of human rights, U.S. aid to that unit stops unless the foreign government brings the responsible individuals to justice.

The impact of those cuts on the operations of our Embassies... would be dramatic.

We greatly appreciate the work you are doing. And we again commend the dedicated men and women of the State Department and USAID.

I know the Senator has advocated for satellite offices. His amendment speaks for geographic diversity. Otherwise, every one of us would be asking for one in our State. Vermont, which receives more patents per capita than any other State in…