Continued Cuts to Development and Diplomacy the Wrong Direction  

Washington, DC — The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition released the following statement on the House Appropriations Committee’s 302b funding allocations from General Chuck Wald, USAF (Ret.), and General Richard Hearney, USMC (Ret.), co-chairs of Veterans for Smart Power:

“It takes more than just a strong military to keep our country safe today, and unfortunately the House Appropriations Committee’s allocation for our civilian tools of development and diplomacy shortchanges our national security.  We know from our decades of military service that investments in international affairs programs are essential to not only keeping our nation safe, but more importantly, preventing crises that could put our brave men and women in uniform in harm’s way.

“As General James Mattis, the former CENTCOM Commander, reminded the Senate Armed Services Committee in March, ‘If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.’

“We stand with nearly 30,000 veterans and supporters across the country, as well as more than 120 of our fellow retired three- and four-star general and flag officers, in calling for a strong and effective International Affairs Budget to meet the challenges our country faces today in a dangerous world.  At just one percent of the entire federal budget, we cannot afford additional cuts to these vital programs.”

Please visit USGLC’s up-to-the-minute online Budget Center for detailed analysis on the House Appropriations Committee’s FY 2014 International Affairs Budget allocation.

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (www.usglc.org) is a broad-based influential network of 400 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic and community leaders in all 50 states who support a smart power approach of elevating development and diplomacy alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world. 

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