FY 2015 Request Curbs Deep Cuts from Past Years

Washington, DC — The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) applauds the Administration’s $50 billion International Affairs Budget request for protecting America’s global engagement.

“With this year’s spending caps leaving no room for growth, the President’s budget request is an important statement of support for America’s engagement in the world at a time when crises are literally spiraling across the globe,” said Liz Schrayer, USGLC Executive Director. “This budget shelters most programs from years of disproportionate cuts and puts us on a path to advance our security and economic interests.”

The International Affairs Budget request includes $44.1 billion for base programs and $5.9 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), making the overall request down by just over one percent from last year.

“As our military leaders have said unequivocally, we need these non-military tools more than ever,” added Schrayer. “They save countless lives and dollars. At the same time, with situations like the Syrian refugee crisis, we need to be concerned about the reductions in some accounts, including the humanitarian, refugee and global health accounts.

At just over one percent of the entire federal budget, U.S. international affairs programs are a smart investment for American taxpayers. The USGLC urges Congress to support this balanced smart power approach to protecting our national security and economy.

A detailed analysis on the FY 2015 International Affairs Budget request will be up later this afternoon on the USGLC website.

Other USGLC Leaders on the FY 2015 International Affairs Budget Request

USGLC Co-President and Director of International Governmental Affairs for Caterpillar Bill Lane: “In places like Colombia and Chile, I have seen programs funded by the International Affairs Budget in action to create new export markets for American goods and services. This budget is good for business’s bottom line and in keeping the American economy running full steam ahead.”

USGLC National Security Advisory Council Co-Chair Admiral James Stavridis: “Ukraine and Syria are two very dramatic and recent examples of the significant security challenges facing the United States and indeed the world. We need strong diplomacy and development to go hand-in-hand with our military spending — indeed, to succeed in creating security, we need ALL of the tools of national capability working together.”

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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