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In today’s interconnected world, America must use all of the instruments of national security and foreign policy at its disposal. America’s civilian tools of diplomacy and development are critical, which is why the USGLC supports a strong and effective International Affairs Budget for:

Protecting National Security by fighting terrorism, stabilizing weak and fragile states, combating weapons proliferation, and promoting global stability;
Building Economic Prosperity by developing international markets, driving economic development, creating American jobs, and expanding exports;
Strengthening Humanitarian Values by saving lives, alleviating global poverty and hunger, fighting HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, and expanding educational opportunities for women and girls.

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18 Former Senate Leaders Urge Congress to Protect International Affairs Budget

April 7, 2016 | Elizabeth Holtan

This week, a bipartisan group of former U.S. senators came together in support of America’s international affairs funding, urging the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee to maintain America’s role in the world. As former colleagues, we write to relay our support for the International Affairs Budget and the important […]

Two Ways America is Making a Difference in Global Health

April 7, 2016 | Miriam Smallman

The U.S. has been a global leader in researching, treating and combating infectious diseases around the globe. Today, in honor of World Health Day, let’s look back at some of America’s global health success stories. PEPFAR, or the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is one of the largest international initiatives by a country to […]

A Clean Water Vision of Clarity

March 22, 2016 | Elizabeth Holtan

What happens when the water in your home isn’t safe to drink? Across the world, about 663 million people — 1 in 10 — don’t have access to clean water. But in the amount of time it takes for us to go the kitchen, turn on the faucet, and fill up a glass, World Vision will have reached one […]

Economic development is a lot cheaper than sending soldiers.
Robert Gates Former Secretary of Defense

The account we’re talking about can make the difference between a safe America or an at-risk America… if you don’t see it as a national security tool, then I think that we are missing the mark as a nation.
Lindsey Graham United States Senator

If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.
General James Mattis Former Commander of United States Central Command

It would make Americans less safe and harm our economy to turn away from the world at a time when our leadership and engagement is especially necessary. We would miss opportunities for greater prosperity and stability and sow the seeds of greater indebtedness.
Senator Bob Corker Ranking Member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee

The programs supported by the International Affairs Budget are as essential to our national security as defense programs. Development and diplomacy protect our nation by addressing the root causes of terrorism and conflict. But it’s not just about security. By building new markets overseas for American products, the International Affairs Budget creates jobs and boosts the economy here at home.
Tom Ridge Former Secretary of Homeland Security

The investments we make today in the developing world will help create the jobs of tomorrow here in America. Right now, the tough choice is to maintain foreign assistance, not to cut it. Right now, the bold act of leadership is to defend spending on key international programs, not to attack it.
Bill Gates Chairman of Microsoft

Greater engagement through diplomacy and development is not an option in today’s world: it is a necessity. Investing in American diplomacy serves the interests of our country in all corners of the globe and helps create a better, safer world.
Madeleine Albright Former Secretary of State