Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2022 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Funding Bill

The House Appropriations Committee today approved the fiscal year 2022 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs bill on a 32-25 vote.

In total, the bill provides $62.24 billion, which is $6.737 billion above 2021 – an increase of 12.1 percent. The legislation:

• Supports the world’s most vulnerable with foreign assistance to meet urgent humanitarian needs, many of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic
• Rebuilds the global public health infrastructure with a dramatic increase in funding for global health security to confront the current COVID-19 pandemic and prevent future pandemics
• Confronts climate change with funding for global efforts to reduce emissions, including the Green Climate Fund
• Advances women’s rights by increasing funding for family planning, increasing United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) funding, and repealing restrictions on safe and legal abortion
• Promotes democracy with funding to support allies and partners of the United States, particularly to counter growing Chinese influence

“This bill demonstrates the resurgence of American leadership in the world at a time when it is critically needed,” State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Chair Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) said.  It addresses urgent global health and humanitarian needs, provides strong funding to address the climate crisis and advance gender equity.  Through funding for tackling hunger, supporting education, clean water and energy, the bill shows our commitment to advancing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development goals, including addressing global poverty and reducing inequalities. Importantly, this bill also includes new provisions to advance the critical need for our foreign policy workforce to reflect the diversity of our nation.”

“While COVID-19 cases have sharply declined in the United States, the coronavirus pandemic is far from over across the globe, with 370,000 new cases and over 8,000 new deaths per day. As new variants develop and spread, we must continue to work across countries and borders to put an end to this pandemic while ensuring we are prepared to prevent the pandemics of the future,” Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “The substantial global health investments in this legislation will ensure that America leads the way in crushing the current pandemic and bolstering detection and response to prevent future pandemics.”

The following amendments to the bill were adopted by the full Committee:

Rep. Lee (CA) – The manager’s amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

Rep. Kaptur – The amendment directs that the sanctions waiver contained in section 7503 of the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act shall not apply in fiscal year 2022. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

Rep. Diaz-Balart – The amendment requires notification by the Secretary of State upon agreement with a country to receive detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the bill, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here. The bill report, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here.