Get the USGLC’s Full Analysis

In March 2019, the USGLC released an analysis of the Administration’s FY20 budget request, which called for dangerous and disproportionate cuts to America’s development and diplomacy programs for the third year in a row. Since that time, both the House and Senate have taken decisive action to protect and strengthen the International Affairs Budget in FY20 – highlighting the continued strong bipartisan support for these programs on Capitol Hill.

The topline funding levels for the FY20 International Affairs Budget provided by the House and Senate not only reject the Administration’s proposed deep cuts but also increase resources for these programs compared to the FY19 enacted level. The Senate Appropriations Committee provided a modest $800 million (1.4%) increase while the House approved a more substantial $2.3 billion (4%) increase in international affairs spending.

Of note, the House approved its topline spending levels before Congress and the Administration reached a bipartisan budget deal that raised the caps on defense and non-defense discretionary (NDD) spending for FY20 and, as a result, assumed a higher level of NDD spending than the budget deal allows.

Whether it is combating violence and instability, fighting the second largest Ebola outbreak ever, responding to the greatest number of displaced people in human history, or countering China’s rapid expansion across the developing world, the global challenges America faces are only growing. At the same time, funding for the State Department, USAID, and our other development agencies remains below the recent high-water mark of FY17.

USGLC commends bipartisan Members of Congress for once again rejecting the Administration’s proposed deep cuts to the International Affairs Budget and for standing up in support of strong and effective development and diplomacy programs. As work to finalize FY20 spending continues, the USGLC urges Congress to agree to – at a minimum – the House approved funding level for the International Affairs Budget, which moves closer to providing the resources needed to address today’s growing global threats.

Download the full report to get our analysis of the similarities and differences between the Administration’s FY20 budget request, the House proposal, and the Senate proposal.