Republicans Threaten National Security, Abdicate United States World Leadership, and Slash Humanitarian Assistance

Watch Democrats Protect America’s National Security and Stand with Our Allies  

WASHINGTON — Today, House Appropriations Committee Republicans pushed ahead with their fiscal year 2026 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs funding bill that weakens our national security and puts the American people and public health preparedness at risk.

House Republicans are proposing a 22 percent cut to the bill’s overall funding level.

This bill:

• Threatens national security, abdicates United States world leadership and guts development and humanitarian programs by underfunding the operations and staffing of the State Department and completing the demise of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as other tools of America’s soft power and global leadership.
• Cedes world leadership to China by abandoning our allies and eliminating funding for the United Nations (UN) and other multilateral and international financial institutions, including any funding for the UN Regular budget, the UN Development Program, UN Women, and UNICEF.
• Threatens women’s health globally by prohibiting the United States from contributing to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), substantially underfunding bilateral family planning, and reinstating the expanded Global Gag Rule on non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. assistance.
• Hampers the United States’ response to the climate crisis by eliminating support for communities’ ability to adapt to weather changes, sustainably manage their land and natural resources, and expand access to clean energy.

“The Republicans’ proposed FY26 Appropriations bill for National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs charts a dangerous course of recklessness and retreat—leaving a vacuum for adversaries like China to fill,”State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Ranking Member Lois Frankel (D-FL-22) said. “Slashing investments in diplomacy, development, and humanitarian aid is not just shortsighted—it’s a grave mistake. These cuts may look like savings on paper, but they come at a steep cost that every American family will feel. When global health systems collapse, people get sick. When markets dry up, paychecks shrink. When diplomacy fails, our loved ones are sent to war. I look forward to working toward a budget that meets the moment—one that strengthens our security, grows our economy, and reaffirms America’s leadership on the world stage.”

Congresswoman Lois Frankel’s full remarks are here.

“President Trump is aggressively pursuing an America-last agenda that will only see America become weaker, more isolated, and more ostracized. Snubbing our allies and turning our back on the world does not make us strong. It makes us weak. It makes us an unreliable ally and an untrustworthy partner,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “Republicans are slashing humanitarian assistance by more than a third, and foreign assistance by over 20 percent – causing tragic and preventable death around the world and creating a power vacuum that China is eager to exploit. Their bill dismisses our international partners – U.N. agencies and NGOs that deliver lifesaving aid to the most vulnerable people around the globe. And their bill surrenders our efforts to combat the climate crisis – eliminating support for climate adaptability and clean energy, ignoring the nexus between climate, conflict, and migration, and jeopardizing the safety and security of our children and our grandchildren. I will not stop fighting to protect America’s interests, and against the Trump Administration’s and Republicans’ dangerous dismantling of our diplomatic and humanitarian efforts across the world.”

Congresswoman DeLauro’s full remarks are here.

This funding bill was considered amidst the looming threat of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sending a proposal to, in effect, unilaterally and unlawfully cancel expiring appropriations (a misnomer OMB Director Vought erroneously calls a “pocket rescission,” which is just another term for unlawful impoundment). Instead of rising to the occasion to combat those threats, Republicans capitulated to the demands of Director Vought. They continued their go-it-alone approach to government funding instead of working with Democrats to enact bipartisan laws that serve American interests.

During today’s markup, Democrats also fought to:

• Restore humanitarian assistance after Republicans decimated efforts to address crises and save lives around the world.
• Produce a report on the impact President Trump’s cuts, mass firings, and chaotic foreign policy changes have had on the expansion of China’s global influence.
• Require adequate staffing to implement oversight of foreign assistance following the firing of thousands of employees at the U.S. Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development.
• Reverse Republican cuts and eliminate policies that threaten women’s health globally.

House Republicans rejected these efforts. 

A summary of the bill is here. A fact sheet 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.

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