00:00The gentlelady from Pennsylvania, Ms. Dean, is recognized for remarks on the bill.
00:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I thank the chairman and ranking member.
00:10Sadly, I rise in opposition to this bill.
00:13Foreign assistance is critical for our country's foreign policy
00:16and our standing in the world as the indispensable nation.
00:21Why would we give that up?
00:22Yet this administration not only clawed back $9 billion
00:25in congressionally appropriated funds just last week,
00:29but they have also presented an FY26 budget
00:33that does not reflect safety, security, and prosperity as they claim.
00:38The cornerstone of United States foreign policy and approach to foreign aid
00:43has always been the 3D approach, defense, diplomacy, and development.
00:48Unfortunately, we have seen the shuddering of USAID,
00:51the scandalous destruction and incineration of food and aid.
00:56USAID, an agency that built goodwill for America,
01:01and according to the Lancet, prevented deaths of more than 90 million people
01:05between 2001 and 2021.
01:10I want to repeat that.
01:1120 years prevented the deaths of more than 90 million people.
01:16The same study forecasts that the defunding of USAID could lead to 14 million deaths by 2030,
01:26including 4.5 million children and babies under five.
01:31Let me repeat that fact.
01:33We are risking the deaths of 14 million people between now and 2030,
01:404.5 million infants and children.
01:44The destruction by this administration continued two weeks ago
01:49with the termination of 1,300 State Department experts,
01:53which will hobble our diplomatic strength and create a void
01:56that our adversaries will undoubtedly fill.
01:59Will undoubtedly fill.
02:02Do we not see the service of those 1,300 experts,
02:06public service, selflessly accumulating information, expertise,
02:11and they are let go without any warning or cause?
02:15In his capacity as Senator Marco Rubio often supported, praised foreign assistance.
02:21He emphasized that foreign aid is not charity, as President Reagan said,
02:26but it is critical to our national security.
02:28And yet now, as Secretary of State, he has abandoned these articles of faith.
02:33The State Department's budget is not a reflection of our leadership,
02:36and it is not who we are as a nation.
02:39Our diplomats, development workers, and aid professionals embody our values,
02:43working in crisis zones to promote peace, health, and human rights.
02:47Senator Rubio has repeatedly said that slashing foreign aid will not bring us to balance.
02:53Yet Secretary Rubio supports the cuts presented in this bill.
02:5722% cuts, $13 billion.
03:02Programs that supported stability and conflict prevention have been cut,
03:06which increases the risks that conflicts can spill over into global threats
03:10like terrorism and mass migration.
03:13It is estimated that more than 360,000 people, most of them children,
03:20250,000 children have already died due to the closure of USAID.
03:26Six months, 360,000 people, a quarter million of them children.
03:32This bill proposes to further cut life-saving humanitarian assistance
03:35that could have saved these lives, and for those in the future
03:39who will be affected by natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and conflicts.
03:44This is not a measure of America's humanity and moral responsibility.
03:49Lastly, we have heard members of this administration call
03:52for greater self-reliance by foreign partners.
03:56This can only be achieved through development since assistance initiatives,
04:01and yet in this bill, it cuts development and economic assistance by 21%.
04:06Foreign assistance funding accounts for approximately 1%
04:11of our total spending on our budgets.
04:15It is not charity.
04:16It is a key arm, an indispensable arm, of our foreign policy toolkit
04:21that contributes to our safety, security, and economic prosperity.
04:26As appropriators, we must stand up and recognize the values of these investments.
04:32And I will say, do we not feel an obligation to lead?
04:36Do we not see the suffering of others?
04:39No, in this bill, we retreat, and we ignore the suffering of others.
04:43I'm sad to say that.
04:45I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing these drastic, draconian cuts
04:50that will cost lives around the world.
04:54I yield back.
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