1. House Approves FY22 State-Foreign Operations Bill

In a flurry of activity before the August recess, the House completed work this week on nine of its twelve FY22 spending bills – including the State-Foreign Operations (SFOPS) and Agriculture Appropriations bills, which fund the vast majority of the International Affairs Budget.

For the first time in over a decade, the SFOPS bill was considered on the House floor as a standalone – rather than as part of a larger package of appropriations bills – and was approved on a largely party-line vote of 217-212. The Agriculture bill was approved as part of a seven-bill “minibus” package.

As a reminder, the SFOPS bill provides $62.2 billion for the State Department, USAID, and other development agencies. This represents a 12% increase compared to the FY21 non-emergency enacted level and is 0.5% above the Administration’s FY22 request.

A total of 36 amendments were made in order to the SFOPS bill, including one by Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) that would have cut $308 million from the account that funds U.S. assessed contributions to international organizations – including NATO and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) – and resulted in a cut to the SFOPS topline by same amount. The amendment was defeated after being voted on as part of a package of 7 amendments.

The world has changed dramatically over the last year – from the COVID-19 pandemic to increasing authoritarianism to competition from countries like China. If enacted, the House FY22 SFOPS bill would be a critical down payment to address unprecedented global challenges that impact the health, safety, and economic interests of all Americans – which is why USGLC mobilized our networks across the country this week in support of the topline funding level.

As the FY22 appropriations process moves forward, USGLC urges Congress and the Administration to use this funding level as the floor to ensure our international affairs investments match what is truly necessary to advance the health, safety, and economic interests of American families.