Ranking Member DeLauro Statement at the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request Hearing for the Department of State

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, delivered the following remarks at the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee's hearing on the fiscal year 2025 budget request for the Department of State:

Thank you, Chairman Diaz-Balart and Ranking Member Lee, for holding this hearing.

And thank you Secretary Blinken for being here today, and for what you and the devoted public servants of the Department of State do to protect Americans' security and interests, and to project America's strength, share our values, and celebrate our common cause with those who support freedom and democracy around the world.

Unfortunately, the majority has recently revealed that they are prepared to cut the State and Foreign Operations funding bill by more than 11 percent, decimating your department's ability to conduct diplomacy around the world at a time when America's diplomatic might is as critical to our national security as our defense capabilities.

Later in this hearing, I plan to ask you about the damage to our diplomatic capabilities that a $7 billion cut to the State Department's funding bill would bring – and the losses it would entail for State Department personnel, from foreign service officers to aid workers.

We are at a critical juncture in history. Wars in Europe and the Middle East have tested our nation's resolve.

I was greatly disturbed, and still am, by the majority's lack of resolve to pass security and humanitarian aid for months while our allies waited, our adversaries took advantage, and humanitarian disasters unfolded.

But thankfully, despite the majority's unnecessary delays, we did pass the supplemental security funding, and we showed our trusted allies that we have their back, and that our word can be counted on.

I believe it is our duty to support Ukraine's victory over Russia. We cannot let Vladimir Putin be successful in his ambition to expand Russia's territory by force.

Of course, arms and munitions are not all we are providing Ukraine. The State Department is administering $9.5 billion in forgivable loans to support Ukraine's government, its energy sector and other infrastructure, and its first responders, health care workers and teachers. I am looking forward to learning more about how you are working to ensure Ukraine's economic stability.

And in the Middle East, while we must support Israel's defense against aggression from Iran and its proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah, the situation in Gaza is increasingly dire –

1.1 million Gazans, half its population, are on the brink of famine due to this conflict.

We have a moral obligation to ensure that the humanitarian aid appropriated and obligated by this Congress can reach Gazans, and we must ensure that this conflict does not spread. These are not just feel-good activities, they are central to the security of Israel, the United States and the region for generations into the future.

While the situation on the ground in Israel and in Gaza is urgent and commands our attention, the State Department is also leading negotiations to secure the release of the hostages, and must prepare for the future of this region. I know you agree – planning with regional partners must happen now, on how we bring about a ceasefire and peaceful end to this conflict. All of this takes resources.

Even as these conflicts continue, the State Department is also focused on the growing influence of China throughout the world, as the State Department works to preserve the rules-based international order through diplomacy. Moreover, China is rapidly expanding its military and technological capabilities; the State Department's work is crucial to maintaining the United States' competitive advantage, and that work again requires sufficient resources.

There is a small faction in this Congress that believes we should put America first by building walls between us and the rest of the world.

I strongly believe that we put America first by demonstrating the power of American leadership – that we have the strength and the determination and the heart to fight for the most vulnerable people, protect the freedom of our allies, and share American values around the world.

I thank you again for appearing before the subcommittee and I thank you for your public service to our country. I yield back.