The world has literally been turned upside down by the global pandemic and this year’s International Affairs Budget must reflect this new reality if we are going to keep Americans healthy and safe.

The Administration’s first budget proposal to tackle our global needs is smart and serious. We applaud this proposal to make an important down payment to advance and protect America’s interests around the world – from mitigating new strains of COVID-19 and future pandemic threats, to addressing increasing global conflict, growing humanitarian crises, and continued economic competition from countries like China.

In recent weeks, the USGLC coordinated an assessment by dozens of foreign policy and national security experts to assess the impact of the global pandemic and the investment needed across International Affairs programs to meet today’s growing global threats. The Administration’s new proposal is a powerful first step that gets us halfway there.

Building on the call of Republicans and Democrats for decades – and particularly over the last year – to step up America’s partnerships on the global stage, we urge the Administration and Congress to move forward with this International Affairs funding level as the floor in all Fiscal Year 2022 negotiations.