Foreign Minister Blinken: Chairman Sir, thank you very much. It always feels good to be with you. Chairman Cole, thank you for coming here this morning. Ranking Member Lee, Ranking Member DeLauro, all distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you this morning.
And thank you for the partnerships we’ve had as we work to advance American leadership in the world at a time when it’s so important to have that leadership to deliver on the priorities that really matter to our people at home. keeps.
I think the need for America’s global leadership and cooperation with allies and partners has never been greater. If we don’t do it, if we’re not engaged, if we’re not leading, we know someone else will do it, and possibly not in a way that advances our interests and values. Or perhaps worse, no one does, and then you’ll have a void that gets filled with bad things before it gets filled with good things.
At the same time, we know that the nature of the problems we face – greater diversity and greater complexity – requires cooperation, coordination, working with allies and partners. This is even more imperative than during my time here.
The People’s Republic of China is pursuing military, economic and geopolitical primacy, challenging our vision of a free, open, secure and prosperous international order.
Russia is committing aggression not only against Ukraine, but also against the core principles of the UN Charter – sovereignty, territorial independence and integrity, independence – which are the fundamental basis of global peace and security.
In the Middle East, we stand with Israel in its efforts to ensure that what happened on October 7 does not happen again, as we do everything possible to end and stop the terrible human suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. From spreading the conflict to other fronts.
US leadership is needed to address humanitarian crises around the world, including Sudan and Haiti. We have seen millions of people displaced and killed in many other places. We have to focus on them – and we are. And as many of you have said, also addressing global issues that no one country can solve alone, whether it’s food security, a changing climate, international corruption, the fentanyl crisis.
Audience member: Lies, greed and hypocrisy –
Security: This is your warning. This is your warning now.
Audience member: – Our democracy has been exposed. Free Palestine to free us all.
Security: Okay, you’ve been arrested for (inaudible) conduct.
Chairman Diaz-Balart: Secretary Sir –
Audience member: Free Palestine to free us all. All liberation struggles are interconnected. You should arrest Blinken, not me. You should arrest Blinken, not me.
Chairman Diaz-Balart: We will not create any disturbance in this committee.
Secretary Sir.
Secretary Blinken: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
But with the support of Congress, we can and are meeting these challenges strongly. Because of the steps we have taken, the United States is stronger economically, militarily, diplomatically than it was just a few years ago.
We have made historic investments here domestically in our competitiveness, in our innovation, in our infrastructure. We have renewed our alliances, we have created new alliances and achieved unprecedented synergy with key partners in Europe, Asia and beyond.
We have delivered much-needed U.S. assistance to Ukraine, and we have called on the international community to share the burden. For every dollar we have spent on economic or development assistance in Ukraine, others have collectively invested three dollars more.
Now, I know there were doubts about whether bipartisan support for Ukraine and other urgent national security priorities would be sustained. But last month, Congress showed the world that we will not back down when you passed President Biden’s supplemental funding bill by a landslide.
Our investments abroad do not come at the expense of our strength at home – far from it. Most of the supplement is being spent here in the United States, building its own defense industrial base, supporting thousands of good American jobs.
But we have to maintain this momentum. This requires a State Department budget that we fully resource so that we can really meet the challenges of this time.
The President has proposed a $58.8 billion budget for the State Department for fiscal year 2025, and USAID is doing this in two key ways.
First, it funds the essential missions of our Department and USAID. The budget will ensure that the United States remains the partner of choice for countries around the world when they turn to us and expect our help solving problems they are trying to solve but that are also in our interest to help solve. In an era of renewed great power competition, we must offer the strongest possible offer: one that is relevant and responsive to countries’ needs, and one that advances our security and economic interests.
That’s why we’re requesting $2 billion for a new fund to build high-quality, sustainable infrastructure around the world, among other things. Importantly, such investments create jobs for Americans and expand markets for our businesses abroad.
We are requesting resources for the World Bank. With US$1 billion in financing, we can leverage an additional $36 billion in development funding capacity to direct emerging economies’ top priorities. This is a huge return on our investment – and essential to compete with China around the world.
The budget also includes $1.7 billion for international organizations, including the United Nations, APEC, the Inter-American Development Bank, to help shape them in ways that reflect our interests and our values.
We are seeking $500 million to provide more people around the world access to secure internet and digital technologies. Doing so will support the US economy through exports of our technology products. It will also help ensure that we and our fellow democracies remain leaders and standard-bearers in key technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Our budget includes funding to address global issues that affect the lives and livelihoods of the American people as well as people around the world – particularly the synthetic drug crisis. It also funds our response to irregular migration, global food insecurity, public health, climate, and energy security.
We are also asking Congress to fully fund the State Department’s educational and cultural exchange programs. They are one of the best, most cost-effective tools for advancing our values and interests around the world that I have seen. They support students, researchers, young professionals from our community who study and work abroad. They connect us to the world, to the world, in powerful human ways.
To outcompete our strategic rivals, we need to invest in the foundation of our strength abroad, and that is our diplomatic corps. And that is the second pillar of the budget.
Our budget makes a strong investment in expanding our overseas presence, opening posts in the Pacific Islands and the Eastern Caribbean. As was mentioned, we want to make sure that we are represented at the ambassadorial level and that we have positions everywhere so that we can effectively represent our interests everywhere.
It will also continue the modernization of our diplomacy. We have reorganized the department to better meet the challenges we face at this time. We are working to attract and retain the best talent – again, essential to meeting these challenges. We are investing in our people in Washington and abroad with training, technology and support. We are promoting more agility, more innovation, more efficiency in our processes.
Last year’s budget was cut by five percent compared to the previous year. It challenges Congress’s expectations and our efforts to deliver the results the American people deserve.
That’s why I urge you to support this budget, which helps us address our most important foreign policy priorities for the coming year and lay the foundation for continued strong American leadership in the years to come.
Also, I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
secretary-antony-j-blinken-opening-remarks-before-the-house-committee-on-appropriations-subcommittee-on-state-foreign-operations-and-related-programs-on-the-fy25-department-of-state-budget-request
