00:00Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Graham, Vice-Chair Collins, Chair Murray, very good to be with
00:08all of you today on this committee.
00:11I thank you.
00:12I thank you for the opportunity to testify before you.
00:19I recognize people feel passionately we must have order in this room.
00:25We are going to proceed with this hearing.
00:31Mr. Secretary, you may resume.
00:33Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:35I want to thank you also for your partnership in working together to advance American leadership
00:39in the world, leadership that's so essential for delivering on the priorities that matter
00:44to our people at home.
00:46I think the need for our global leadership and cooperation with allies and partners.
00:52This will suspend until the room is cleared of protesters.
01:04Mr. Secretary, you may proceed.
01:05Chairman, thank you.
01:06As I was saying, the need for our leadership and cooperation with allies and partners has
01:10never been greater.
01:13People's Republic of China is pursuing military, economic, and geopolitical preeminence, challenging
01:18our vision for a free, open, secure, and prosperous international order.
01:23Russia is committing aggression not only against Ukraine, but against the principles at the
01:28heart of the UN Charter – independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty – that
01:32are the building blocks for global peace and security.
01:35In the Middle East, we're standing with Israel in its efforts to ensure that what
01:37happened on October 7th never happens again, as we do everything we can to bring to an
01:42end the terrible UN suffering in Gaza and prevent the conflict from spreading.
01:47U.S. leadership is needed to address humanitarian crises elsewhere around the world.
01:55Witness may suspend until we can clear the room.
02:05Mr. Secretary, you may resume.
02:07Thank you.
02:09Our leadership is needed to address humanitarian crises elsewhere around the world, including
02:13in Sudan, in Haiti, where millions have been displaced, many killed, and to address global
02:18issues that no country can solve alone, including food security, the changing climate, transnational
02:23corruption, and the fentanyl crisis.
02:26But with the support of Congress, we can and we are approaching these challenges from a
02:30position of strength.
02:32Because of the actions we've taken, the United States is stronger economically, diplomatically,
02:36militarily than we were a few years ago.
02:39We've made historic investments here at home in our competitiveness, in our innovation,
02:43in our infrastructure.
02:44We've renewed our alliances.
02:45We've built new ones.
02:46We've secured unprecedented alignment with key partners in Europe, in Asia, and beyond.
02:52We've delivered essential American aid to Ukraine.
02:54And we've rallied the international community to share the burden.
02:58For every dollar that we've spent in economic and development assistance, others have collectively
03:02invested three more.
03:04Now, many doubted that bipartisan support for Ukraine and other urgent national security
03:09priorities could endure.
03:11But last month, Congress demonstrated – demonstrated to the world that we would not pull back.
03:17You passed the President's supplemental funding bill by an overwhelming margin and
03:20on a bipartisan basis.
03:22Our investment abroad does not come at the expense of our strength at home.
03:25Far from it.
03:27Most of the supplemental is being spent here in the United States, building up our own
03:31defense industrial base, supporting thousands of American jobs.
03:35We need to keep up this momentum, and that requires a State Department and a budget that
03:39we fully resource so that we can meet the challenges of our time.
03:43And I think, as Senator Graham put it, in effect, an ounce of prevention is well worth
03:49more than a pound of cure.
03:50And we know that if we don't get these problems on the takeoff, we're going to have to deal
03:54with them on the landing, but in much more costly and difficult ways.
03:58The FY25 budget that the President is putting forward, requesting $58.8 billion to the State
04:02Department and USAID, does this in two ways.
04:05First, it funds the essential missions of our department and USAID.
04:10The budget will ensure that the United States continues to be the partner of choice that
04:13countries can turn to when they need to solve big problems, but problems that also affect
04:18us.
04:19In an era of renewed great power competition, we've got to present the strongest possible
04:23offer, one that is relevant and responsive to countries' needs and that advances our
04:27security and economic interests.
04:30That's why, for example, we're requesting $2 billion for a new fund to build high-quality,
04:34sustainable infrastructure around the world.
04:36Crucially, these kinds of investments create jobs for Americans and expand markets for
04:40our businesses overseas.
04:42We're requesting resources for the World Bank.
04:45With $1 billion in U.S. funding, we can unlock another $36 billion in development fund capacity
04:50to direct to the top priorities of emerging economies.
04:54That's a huge return on our investment and essential, again, for competing with China
04:58around the world.
04:59The budget also includes $1.7 billion for international organizations, including the
05:03United Nations, APEC, the Inter-American Development Bank, to help shape them in ways that reflect
05:08our interests and values.
05:10We're asking for $500 million to give more people around the world access to secure internet
05:14and digital technologies.
05:16Doing so will support the U.S. economy through the export of our technology products.
05:20It will help us ensure that we and our fellow democracies remain the leaders and standard
05:25setters in key technologies like artificial intelligence.
05:29The budget includes funding to address global issues that affect the lives and livelihoods
05:32of the American people, as well as people around the world, especially the synthetic
05:36drug crisis.
05:37It also funds our response to a regular migration, global food insecurity, public health, climate,
05:42and energy security.
05:43And again, if these problems are not addressed up front, inevitably they're going to have
05:47an impact on us down the road.
05:50We're also asking Congress to fully fund the State Department's educational and cultural
05:53exchanges.
05:54These are really one of our best and most cost-effective tools for advancing U.S. values
05:58and interests around the world, and they support the students, the researchers, the young professionals
06:02from our communities who study and work abroad.
06:05To outcompete our strategic rivals, we also need to invest in the foundation of our strength
06:09abroad, our diplomatic corps.
06:11And that's the second pillar of the budget.
06:13Our budget makes a strong investment in expanding our overseas presence, opening posts in the
06:16Pacific Islands, the Eastern Caribbean.
06:19It will also continue our modernization of American diplomacy.
06:23We are reorganizing the department to make sure that it is ready to face the challenges
06:27of this time.
06:29We're attracting and working to retain the best possible talent.
06:33We're investing in our people in Washington and in posts overseas with training, with
06:36technology.
06:37We're promoting more agility, more innovation, more efficiency in the processes that we bring
06:41to bear.
06:42Last year's enacted budget level represented a 5 percent cut from the year before.
06:47That challenges our efforts to deliver the results that Congress and the American people
06:51deserve.
06:52So I urge you to support this budget, which helps us address the most pressing foreign
06:55policy priorities for the coming year and lays the foundation for strong American leadership
07:00in the years beyond.
07:02With that, I'm happy to take any questions.
07:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
07:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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