After weeks of internal deliberations, smart policy has clearly won the day. Americans can be pleased that the Administration recognized the importance of these vital foreign assistance programs for keeping America safe and on the global playing field.

A huge shout-out to Secretary Pompeo who – for the second summer in a row – brought his swagger and fought for his department alongside strong bipartisan leadership in Congress and a powerful chorus of voices from the military, faith, business, and humanitarian communities who stepped up to protect the State Department and USAID.

With all the threats and competition that America faces overseas – from Ebola to a renewed ISIS to China – it’s clear once again from the Freedom Caucus to the Progressive Caucus that politicizing these kinds of cuts to critical national security programs is simply not a winning agenda.

Opposition in Congress was led by a wide range of powerful Republican and Democratic voices who spoke out publicly against the OMB rescission package, including the Chairs and Rankings of the House and Senate foreign policy committees, Reps. Engel and McCaul and Senators Risch and Menendez; the key House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders Reps. Lowey and Rogers and Senators Graham and Leahy; House and Senate Budget Committee leaders Rep. Yarmuth and Senator Sanders; and Speaker Pelosi who reached out to Secretary Mnuchin.