Ranking Member Frankel Statement at the Full Committee Markup of the 2026 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Funding Bill

WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL-22), Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Appropriations Committee's markup of the fiscal year 2026 bill:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m going to start by recognizing the collegiality of our Chairman Mr. Diaz-Balart and the thoughtful members on both sides of the aisle. And of course, I want to thank our hardworking staff for their tireless efforts.

But most of all, I want to recognize the brave and committed Americans – our diplomats, USAID workers, humanitarian teams, and public health experts and our partners around the world – who bring our country’s values to the world’s toughest places. They’re the ones who delivered vaccines to remote villages in Congo, who help girls in Ethiopia escape forced marriage and find education and safety. 

I’ve seen their work up close – I know many of us have – and the impact of the programs we funded. Children who escaped the brutality of Assad’s Syria thriving in classrooms in Jordan. Mothers in Malawi learning skills to support their families. Pregnant women in Kenya staying healthy with support from HIV clinics.

To all of these workers, past and present: you are the patriots. You represent the best of America. And those who are still serving deserve more than our thanks. They deserve the tools to get the job done.

Mr. Chairman, I wish we had a bipartisan bill in front of us that I could support that honored that service and reflected America’s leadership. If we had a responsible allocation and a White House that understood diplomacy, development, and humanitarian aid, we could have gotten there. But instead, here we are, questioning whether any of this matters when the President just ignores the will of Congress and the laws we pass.

So today, I strongly oppose the FY 2026 Republican bill. It’s not just a funding cut – it’s a reckless blueprint for American retreat.

Our President seems to think relying on threats and bullying alone is a smart strategy. But chaotic tariffs, cruel immigration crackdowns, and this tepid foreign aid plan before us today is not going to make us more safe, secure, or more prosperous. And attention: we are ceding the world to China. And let me be clear: this bill does not lower costs for hard working families and retirees on day one as promised by President Trump – instead it puts hard earned finances at risk by hurting global stability.

And tax breaks for billionaires is not a trade-off for millions of starving children and let me just say that this bill does not make one bit of difference in making up the $4 trillion addition to our debt when the Republicans pass what they call their Big Bill their Big Beautiful Bill I call it the Big Ugly Bill. And this bill is just adds to the list of troubling actions by the Administration.

Here’s what’s happened leading up: Foreign aid has been held up illegally, then justified by an inane claw-back known as rescission; USAID – an agency backed by Congress that fights poverty and prevents conflict – gutted; over 10,000 development and humanitarian professionals dismissed by Elon Musk; 5,000 life-saving aid programs abruptly terminated; 1,300 State Department staff laid off; offices shuttered, decades of progress wiped out.

How disgusting the richest man in the world was allowed to pull the plug on programs that save the world’s poorest children. The infrastructure and staffing is no longer present to carry out the few programs that remain. Let me say this again with emphasis: the infrastructure and staffing is no longer present to carry out the few programs that remain.

All while the world faces crisis after crisis: wars and armed conflict; extreme weather; hunger and famine; disease outbreaks; mass migration; rising authoritarian regimes.

These aren’t distant problems. They land right at our door: fragile states collapse and migration surges; trade stops and U.S. farmers and businesses lose buyers; climate disasters destroy crops and homes; broken health systems allow deadly viruses to spread.

And when we step back, China and Russia step in – not to help, but to expand their grip.

We’re leaving behind a gap they fill with money, weapons, and propaganda taking over the airwaves – reaching listeners who used to rely on Voice of America and our international broadcasting. They want to remake the world to fit their playbook.

Meanwhile, sadly our allies are also slashing foreign aid – pushed to spend more on weapons by Mr. Trump. As global needs explode, democracy’s soft power is vanishing.

This bill fails to meet this moment.

Here’s what it really does: cuts 22 percent from the international affairs budget – that’s $13 billion. Diminishing funding for development and economic assistance: kids kicked out of the classroom and cut off from clean water; farmers losing seeds and tools to make a living; violence prevention programs vanishing; local nonprofits shut down.

The bill slashes humanitarian aid by 42 percent: in Nigeria, malnourished infants are dying without food; in Myanmar, hospitals are going dark; in The Gambia, support for survivors of female genital mutilation has ended – as the country debates making it legal again; in Ukraine, wounded soldiers go without care; in Ecuador, women entrepreneurs are losing lifelines and heading for our border.

This is a blow to our credibility, our moral standing, and our global influence.

Soft power – interestingly enough, development and diplomacy – have been secret weapons abroad. Without them, we’re losing Americans on the ground who know the terrain, see trouble coming, and keep us one step ahead.

And as always, my, my, my, here we go again – Republicans couldn’t resist one more swipe at women: slashing family planning programs that save hundreds of thousands of lives each year and prevent millions of unplanned pregnancies; reinstating the Global Gag Rule – which blocks funding to foreign groups that even talk about abortion; you can’t even say the word “abortion”, not do abortion, say the word “abortion” – you lose your funding; gutting the UNFPA – which provides basic reproductive and maternal care in over 150 countries.

And while this bill guts humanitarian programs and walks away from the world’s most vulnerable, the administration is also on the road to destroying one of the smartest, most effective tools of U.S. foreign policy: the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.

WPS is not some fringe idea. It’s the law, signed by guess who, Donald Trump. It passed with strong bipartisan support. And here’s why: women experience conflict differently than men – often bearing the brunt of sexual violence, displacement, and the burden of caring for families amid chaos – yet they are too often excluded from life changing decisions. 

The WPS agenda has helped train diplomats, strengthen alliances, and put more women at the center of peace and security.

When women are at the table for peace talks, recovery, and crisis response, the results are better. Period. Peace lasts longer. Communities recover faster. And Missions succeed.

And yet, this administration shut down the State Department’s office that leads that work – right when we need women’s leadership the most. That’s not just shortsighted. It makes the world less safe and works directly against our own interests.

The bill also abandons multilateral institutions and organizations – UNICEF, the UN Development Program, the African and Asian Development Banks, the World Bank, the World Health Organization – undermining our ability to shape the global agenda and ceding ground to autocrats. Guess who? ATTENTION: attention…China is going to take over this world

So why should Americans care? That these cuts are going to cost more than they save? Because these cuts hurt American families, too.  When we walk away from the world, chaos spreads, troops are put in harm’s way, our adversaries gain ground, and we pay the price—in dollars, and in lives.

And look, I say this not just as a lawmaker, but as a mother. My son served in the Marines. He was sent to two wars – Iraq and Afghanistan – I know what it means when diplomacy fails. The cost isn’t hypothetical – it hits our soldiers and their families the hardest.

Let me remind you: the international affairs budget was already less than one percent of our federal spending. But it delivered huge returns: markets for American goods; stability abroad; protection from pandemics; fewer troops sent into harm’s way.

Last week, we passed an $832 billion defense bill – that’s hard power. But even our top generals warn: without soft power alongside it, that number will only keep rising.

So, Mr. Chairman, this bill is a lost opportunity. It’s a failure to lead.

It hurts American families because when health systems collapse, people get sick.  When trade stalls, jobs vanish. When diplomacy fails, our loved ones go to war. 

So let me close with this: Democrats aren’t giving up. We’re ready to work together with Republicans to reach a bill that reflects our values, keeps our promises, and protects American lives.

Because we can’t bomb and drone our way to peace and prosperity. 

A strong America doesn’t hide. And it doesn't bully. A strong America leads – with vision, with courage, and compassion.

And that’s the bill we should be fighting for.

Thank you. I yield back.

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