WASHINGTON — Liz Schrayer, President and CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), released the following statement as Secretary Rubio testified on Capitol Hill on the FY26 State Department budget request:

In today’s opening statement before his former Senate colleagues, Secretary Rubio was spot on when he said, “It is time to show how foreign assistance can be an accountable and effective component of an America First Foreign Policy.”

He’s right. U.S. international assistance, when strategically deployed, is how we outcompete China and other rivals, stop diseases and threats from reaching our shores, prevent costly wars, and keep our economy number one.

At the same time, the Administration’s budget request—in terms of the investments in people and programs needed—clearly does not meet the mark for how to deliver for the American people. The reform efforts underway are welcome, which is why USGLC launched our “Blueprint for How America Wins in the World” with ten practical ideas to reform, not retreat.

I look forward to seeing thoughtful questions from Congressional leaders across the aisle today charting a path forward on Secretary Rubio’s pledge to deliver “life-saving and strategic assistance that advances U.S. diplomatic, security, and economic goals.”