00:00I now would recognize my good friend, the ranking member of the full committee,
00:05Mr. Laura, for her opening remarks on the bill.
00:15Thank you to, yes, indeed, my dear friend, it's not said lightly,
00:19the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Cole.
00:22I also want to thank Chairman Diaz-Balart and ranking member Frankel,
00:25and, yes, the subcommittee staff on both sides of the aisle for their work.
00:30And in particular, I want to shout out Aaron Kolejewski, Laurie McDonne, and Ed Etzkorn.
00:37I must oppose the bill before us today, which dismantles American diplomacy and soft power.
00:43It abdicates American leadership, yields the global stage to China and Russia,
00:50threatens women's health, and abandons people around the world.
00:53Since taking office, President Trump's administration has stolen resources,
00:58appropriated by this committee, passed by Democrats and Republicans in the House and in the Senate,
01:04for programs and services across the federal government, including several in this bill,
01:10that protect and promote American interests and security around the world.
01:15Instead of being laser-focused on the cost of living crisis,
01:18President Trump and Republicans are making it worse.
01:21Their big, ugly bill is handing massive tax breaks to the wealthy and to corporations,
01:27while driving up the cost of living for hardworking Americans,
01:31while the administration empowers billionaires and dismantles agencies and programs
01:37that save lives and protect our national security.
01:41President Trump is aggressively pursuing an America-last agenda
01:45that will only see America become weaker, more isolated, and more ostracized.
01:50It is actively divesting impoverished, devastating impoverished regions,
01:57causing tragic and preventable deaths around the world and hurting American farmers.
02:03They empowered Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire who orchestrated the evisceration of USAID
02:11and a freeze-on program saving the lives of vulnerable people around the planet.
02:18Testing and monitoring of diseases have dwindled.
02:22Life-saving treatments have stopped.
02:25Partnerships nurtured over decades to improve people's well-being were severed.
02:29And just last week, the State Department destroyed 500 tons of taxpayer-funded emergency food,
02:38which could have fed 1.5 million kids for a week.
02:44Earlier this month, there was a purge of our diplomatic corps at the Department of State,
02:49where career nonpartisan staff who dedicated their lives to advancing American interests
02:54and who hold a wealth of irreplaceable knowledge and relationships were fired.
03:00If you were China or Russia and you wanted a week in America,
03:04what would you do differently?
03:06This self-destruction is inexplicable, it is unfathomable, and it is unforgivable.
03:13It may be easy for some people to look the other way
03:16and assume that these cuts are only inflicting harm on the other side of the world,
03:20but this affects all of our constituents.
03:24New Haven, Connecticut's Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, or IRIS,
03:29brings hope and builds community in my district.
03:33They selflessly help refugees and immigrants navigate their lawful presence
03:38and build their lives in America, where they can be free from oppression,
03:42free from destitution, and free to become an important part of their country's fabric and economy.
03:48These are people who are lawfully in our country.
03:54They have been vetted.
03:56But President Trump's order of freezing grants for refugee resettlement and agencies across America
04:01is throwing IRIS and the lives of refugees into chaos.
04:07IRIS's director said, and I quote,
04:08I work along Afghans who supported U.S. forces and came to the United States a few years ago,
04:16and they're still waiting for family to come.
04:20Some of them were expecting travel orders for their family at any time.
04:24All of that stopped, end quote.
04:27Snubbing our allies and turning our back to the world does not make us strong.
04:31It makes us weak.
04:32It makes us an unreliable ally and an untrustworthy partner.
04:38Unfortunately, this bill doubles down on this America's last agenda.
04:43It slashes humanitarian assistance by more than a third and foreign assistance by over 20%,
04:49creating a soft power vacuum that China is eager to exploit.
04:54When we are helping impoverished communities and nations treat diseases,
04:57when we are feeding starving children in conflict zones,
05:00and when we help ensure villages have drinkable water,
05:03we are using and gaining soft power.
05:06We do these things because of our generosity.
05:09My faith reminds me of our duty to care for the vulnerable and to feed the hungry.
05:16Matthew 25, 35.
05:18For I was hungry and you gave me food.
05:21I was thirsty and you gave me drink.
05:23I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
05:26We also do these things because they are in our own interest.
05:30They build influence, our global standing, and strengthen our national security.
05:34When we retreat from the global stage, China and Russia fill the gaps
05:38and the world becomes a more dangerous place.
05:41Whose name is on that sack of flour?
05:43Whose name is on the door of the clinic?
05:45Whose name is on the school book?
05:48The United States of America.
05:50It must remain that way.
05:52The bill scapegoats are international partners,
05:54UN agencies and NGOs that deliver life-saving aid to the most vulnerable people around the globe.
06:01Organizations like UNRWA will be destroyed,
06:05leaving children and families in Gaza and other places around the world to starve and to die.
06:11Mr. Chairman, I ask for your commitment to work together on Section 7067,
06:16which would place restrictions on funding to the office of the UN Secretary General
06:21until conditions purportedly on UNRWA are met.
06:26While we support justice for all those murdered on October 7th,
06:29I do not believe the language matches the intent.
06:33The provision is overly broad, penalizes important UN entities
06:37until specific actions are taken by the United States government.
06:41This makes no sense.
06:42Moreover, UN immunity is already waived in cases where it would impede the course of justice
06:48or where someone has committed human rights violations
06:51or engaged in or supported acts of terrorism.
06:54We all want justice for the horrific attacks on both Americans and our friends in Israel.
07:00And indeed, the Justice Department has a task force already investigating this issue.
07:05We should work together to address this in a manner that achieves true justice.
07:10This bill puts women and children at risk by prohibiting funding for the United Nations Population Fund,
07:18slashing support for bilateral family planning, emergency obstetric services,
07:23and responses to gender-based violence.
07:25And it cuts over $300 million from programs that improve maternal and child health
07:31and fight infectious diseases.
07:33This bill surrenders our efforts to combat the climate crisis,
07:39eliminating support for climate adaptability and clean energy,
07:43ignoring the nexus between climate, conflict, and migration,
07:48and jeopardizing the safety and the security of our children,
07:51our grandchildren, and every generation to follow.
07:55I cannot support this bill,
07:56and I will not stop fighting to protect America's interests
08:01and against this administration's dangerous dismantling
08:04of our diplomatic and humanitarian efforts across the world.
08:10I yield back.
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