Deep cuts will not significantly reduce our deficit or help pay down our debt; however, they could leave us vulnerable to the spread of extremist ideology, substantially weaken our standing in the world, and make it more difficult to achieve our goals on the global stage.
Thank you, Chairwoman Granger. I want to express my appreciation for your hard work on this bill and that of your staff: Anne Marie Chotvacs, Craig Higgins, Alice Hogans, Susan Adams, Clelia Alvarado, Jamie Guinn, and Johnnie Kaberle; as well as my staff: Steve Marchese, Erin Kolodjeski, Talia Dubovi, and Ralph Falzone.
The House Majority's refusal to go to conference to forge a bipartisan agreement on the budget resolution has placed Chairman Rogers and the members of this Committee in a no-win situation. The discretionary spending in the Ryan Budget is a completely unrealistic starting point, which led to subcommittee allocations that created winners and losers. While Chairwoman Granger did the best that she could, the bill we have before us today represents a greater than 20% reduction from the fiscal year 2013 pre-sequestration level in a bill that is only 1% of the federal budget.
As we have noted time and again, the agencies and programs funded by this bill are essential for our national security, economic prosperity, and global leadership. Deep cuts will not significantly reduce our deficit or help pay down our debt; however, they could leave us vulnerable to the spread of extremist ideology, substantially weaken our standing in the world, and make it more difficult to achieve our goals on the global stage.
I appreciate the Chairwoman's efforts to include some of my top priorities. We consider this bill as turmoil permeates the Middle East: the ongoing brutal war in Syria is threatening its neighbors, the uprising in Egypt leaves significant questions about that country's stability, violence is increasing in Iraq, and Iran continues its quest for a nuclear weapon. In light of the ever-increasing instability throughout the region, our assistance to Israel - a critical ally and a strong democracy - is more important than ever. I also support the funding provided for Jordan, a country whose stability is essential in this time of great upheaval.
Funding for basic education is fundamental to our success in all other development efforts. We cannot build strong, stable, healthy societies if children don't have the basic tools to succeed. Our robust global health assistance saves thousands of lives each year and is a critical part of the global battle against disease.
In addition to the woefully inadequate allocation provided to these accounts, a number of the specific cuts in this draft are deeply troubling. This bill proposes a drastic retreat from our engagement with the United Nations, the World Bank, and other multilateral organizations. Withholding U.S. contributions to these organizations compromises many of our overall objectives in this bill. Partnerships with many of these organizations are vital to diplomatic and security imperatives, and our bilateral efforts are strengthened by strong multilateral investments such as UNICEF, UNDP, UN WOMEN, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development which are completely unfunded in this bill. For example, the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs coordinates the work of the U.S. and others to ensure there are no gaps in live-saving services for people in extreme need. The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program supports USAID Feed the Future efforts by providing additional financing to countries who have shown a commitment to home-grown food security plans, and UNDP's police training efforts in Afghanistan are helping our troops withdraw while maintaining security and rule of law. These organizations also leverage our investments, leading to significantly greater impacts than we can achieve on our own. For example, every dollar that we provide to the Asian and African Development Banks leverages $20 from other donors. Moreover, these investments support the U.S. economy: for every $1 we contribute to the UN regular and peacekeeping budgets to pay our assessed dues, the U.S. economy receives approximately $1.60 in return.
This bill also includes substantial cuts to our personnel and programs at the State Department and USAID. While I support the funding for embassy security and personnel protection, one has to ask whether there will be anything left to protect. Our diplomats and development professionals are a key facet of our national security strategy, and the programs they implement protect our interests by making the world safer and more secure. These relatively small investments, which are neglected, yield outsized dividends for our nation.
And finally, this bill once against reinstates the global gag rule and the funding ban on the UNFPA, while also reducing our support for bilateral family planning efforts. I am consistently dumbfounded by the majority's insistence on advocating policies that are proven to do the exact opposite of what we all hope to achieve: fewer unwanted pregnancies and fewer abortions. This is simply not an area where we can agree to disagree; the evidence is clear and unambiguous. It is unconscionable that anyone would insist on these cuts and policies riders knowing they will lead to 8,000 more maternal deaths, 40,000 additional orphans, and 1.4 million more abortions, compared to FY12 levels.
It is my sincere hope that, working with the Senate, we will agree to a higher allocation for this bill that will allow us to fix many of the problems in this draft. I will continue to work with
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
