The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“STATE DEPARTMENT CUTS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2733 on April 5, 2017.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STATE DEPARTMENT CUTS
(Mr. SCHNEIDER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our Nation's dedicated diplomats, the hardworking men and women at the State Department and USAID who are heroically serving our country here and around the world.
In his very first budget, President Trump has proposed draconian cuts to these agencies. These reductions threaten not only our leadership in the world, but they put our Nation's people and interests at unnecessary risk.
Our global leadership depends on balanced investment in three areas: defense, diplomacy, and development. Undermining any one of these pillars weakens all of them.
The State Department and USAID's effectiveness and success is not a function of equipment or technology. Rather, it is the experience, capabilities, and strategic deployment of our people.
In a world where our challenges are, every day, more numerous and more complex, we are constantly sending our diplomats to places further afield. They are deserving of our full support and our utmost respect for their bravery, dedication, and service in defense of the United States and our values.
I call on my colleagues to join me in protecting our strategically important investments in diplomats, diplomacy, and development, as well as defense.
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