The United States Secretary of States, Antony Blinken has requested $58.8 billion from the President’s FY2025 budget for States Department and US Agency for International Development USAID to funds essential missions of the department and Agency.
Blinken who made the request in his opening remarks before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Tuesday stated that this will ensure the United States continues to be the partner of choice that countries turn to when they need to solve big problems.
In this view, the Secretary, Blinken cited some issues around the world starting with the People’s Republic of China pursuing military, economic, and geopolitical preeminence, challenging United States vision for a free, open, secure, and prosperous international order.
Adding that Russia is committing aggression not only against Ukraine, but against the principles at the heart of the United Nations Charter, sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence which he said are the building blocks for global peace and security.
He spoke about the Middle East, reaffirming US stands with Israel in its efforts to ensure that the attack that happened on October 7th never repeats again, as United States doing everything it can to bring an end to terrible human suffering in Gaza and prevent the conflict from spreading.
He said, U.S. leadership is needed to address humanitarian crises elsewhere around the world, including in Sudan and Haiti, where millions have been displaced, many killed, and to address global issues that no country can solve alone, including food security, a changing climate, transnational corruption, the fentanyl crisis.
Blinken said, “with the support of Congress, we can and we are approaching these challenges from a position of strength. Because of the actions we’ve taken, the United States is stronger economically, diplomatically, and militarily than we were three years ago.
“We’ve made historic investments at home in our own competitiveness, innovation, infrastructure. We’ve renewed our alliances. We’ve built new ones. We’ve secured unprecedented alignment with key partners in Europe, Asia, and beyond.
“We’ve delivered essential American aid to Ukraine, and we’ve rallied the international community to share the burden with us. For every dollar that we’ve sent in economic and development assistance, others collectively have invested three more”, he said.
Blinken made it to the Senate that in an era of renewed great power competition, United States must present the strongest possible offer: one that’s relevant and responsive to countries’ needs and that advances US’s security and economic interests.
Which prompted the Secretary in requesting $2 billion for a new fund to build high-quality, sustainable infrastructure around the world and crucially, investments like these create jobs for Americans, the expand markets for businesses.
“We’re requesting resources for the World Bank. With $1 billion in U.S. funding, we can unlock another $36 billion in development fund capacity to direct to the top priorities of emerging economies. That is an enormous return on our investment and essential for competing with China around the world”.
Blinken pressed further that the FY25 budget also includes $1.7 billion for international organizations, including the United Nations, APEC, the Inter-American Development Bank, to help shape them in ways that reflect the US interests and its values.
“We’re asking for $500 million to give more people around the world access to secure internet and digital technologies. Doing so will support our economy through the export of our technology products, and it will help ensure that we, and our fellow democracies, remain the leaders and standard setters in key technologies like artificial intelligence.
“Our budget also includes funding to address global issues that affect the lives, livelihoods, of the American people, as well as people around the world especially the synthetic drug crisis. It also funds our response to irregular migration, global food insecurity, public health, climate and energy security.
The Secretary asked Congress to fully fund the State Department’s educational and cultural exchanges, stating that these are one of the best, most cost-effective tools the country has for advancing its values and its interests around the world.
He also seek support for students, researchers, young professionals from the communities who study and work abroad. “To outcompete our strategic rivals, we also need to invest in foundations of our strength abroad: our diplomatic corps. And that’s the second pillar of our budget.
He noted the the budget makes a strong investment in expanding the country’s overseas presence, opening posts in the Pacific Islands, the eastern Caribbean, adding that it will also continue the modernization of US diplomacy.
“We’re organizing the department in new ways to meet these new challenges, working to attract and retain the best talent needed to take them on, investing in our people in Washington and at our posts overseas with training, with technology, promoting more agility, more innovation, more efficiency in our processes.
“Last year’s enacted budget level represented a 5 percent cut from the year before. That challenges our efforts to deliver results that Congress and the American want to see”, the Secretary added.
Blinken urged the Senate to support this budget, which will help to address the most pressing foreign policy priorities of the coming year and lays the foundation for strong leadership in the years ahead.
In conclusion, the Secretary of States thanked the Senate Committee for their recent confirmations of ambassadors and other senior officials, saying any undue delays in such confirmations undermine the country’s national security and weaken its ability to deliver for the American people.
