USGLC

International Affairs Budget Update

May 1, 2026

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I.     House Appropriations Committee Approves FY27 National Security, State Department, and Related Programs Bill

On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved its FY27 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) Appropriations bill on a party-line vote of 35-27, following approval at the subcommittee level last week. In total, the bill provides $47.3 billion for America’s diplomatic and international assistance agencies and programs – 5% (-$2.7 billion) below the FY26 enacted level.

Adding in funding for international food assistance provided through the House FY27 Agriculture Appropriations bill and the small amount of funding for international programs provided through the House FY27 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill, the FY27 International Affairs Budget receives a total of $48.1 billion. This represents a 6% (-$3.2 billion) cut compared to the FY26 enacted level but is 37% (+$13 billion) above the Administration’s FY27 request.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BUDGET SNAPSHOT

During the markup, Members offered several amendments – four of which were adopted by the full committee. These include:

• A manager’s amendment offered by Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) to make technical, bipartisan changes to the bill and report – including withholding 25% of representation expenses from being obligated or spent until the Secretary of State testifies before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the Administration’s FY27 request, a study “assessing industrial-scale water usage in United States-Mexico border regions,” and a briefing on U.S. government staffing plans in partner countries to support the transition of global health programs. Adopted by voice vote.
• A Republican en bloc amendment offered by Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) to make technical changes to the bill and report – including funding prohibitions related to election interference, religious freedom, and freedom of speech, and additional efforts to counter drug cartels. Adopted by a vote of 31-27.
• An amendment offered by Representative Norma Torres (D-CA) to prohibit funds from being used to remove or waive sanctions on alleged child traffickers. Adopted by voice vote.
• An amendment offered by Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) to require the State Department to submit a report to Congress within 180 days on U.S. efforts and options to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana. Adopted by voice vote.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) has outlined an aggressive markup schedule that would see committee action on all twelve FY27 appropriations bills complete by the end of June – setting up potential floor action in July.

Select Highlights

Below are select highlights of programmatic funding levels in the House NSRP bill and report. Additional detail can be found in USGLC’s account-by-account summary table. Unless otherwise noted, comparisons are to the FY26 enacted level.

International Security Assistance 

The House provides $9.64 billion for international security assistance, a 9% (+$758 million) increase compared to the FY26 enacted level and 32% (+$2.32 billion) above the Administration’s FY27 request. Of note:

• Provides $6.75 billion for Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and $1.66 billion for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) – increases of 10% (+$594 million) and 19% (+$264 million), respectively, compared to FY26 enacted levels.
• Includes $500 million in FMF grants, 67% (+$200 million) above the FY26 enacted level, and up to $2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for Taiwan.

Peacekeeping 

The House bill reduces funding for UN peacekeeping – which funds U.S. assessments for nine UN peacekeeping operations, including in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – by 60% (-$741 million). The House cuts funding for non-UN peacekeeping programs – renamed the National Security Engagement Account (NSEA) – by 30% (-$101 million).

While significant, these cuts are notably less severe than those included in the Administration’s FY27 request, which eliminates funding for UN peacekeeping and slashes non-UN peacekeeping funds by 92% (-$308 million).

PEACEKEEPING

Development Finance and Export Agencies

Under the House bill, America’s development finance and export agencies see sustained or increased resources. Specifically, the bill:

• Includes $1.02 billion for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) – 1% (+$11 million) above the FY26 enacted level and 25% (+$206 million) above the Administration’s request. Of this total, $243 million is for administrative expenses, $766 million is for program costs, and $7 million is for the Inspector General.
• Provides $164 million for the Export-Import Bank, a 6% (+$10 million) increase from the FY26 enacted level but still well below the Administration’s FY27 request.
• Sustains funding for the U.S. Trade and Development Agency at the FY26 enacted level of $87 million. 

Humanitarian Assistance

The House bill provides $5.1 billion for humanitarian assistance. While this is a 7% (-$400 million) reduction compared to the FY26 enacted level, it is 13% (+$600 million) above the Administration’s FY27 request.

Notably, the House bill maintains funding for the Emergency Migration and Refugee Assistance (ERMA) account at the FY26 enacted level despite the Administration’s request to increase the account – which is under the President’s direction – by 400%. However, in line with the Administration’s FY27 request, the bill rescinds $1 billion in previously appropriated humanitarian assistance funding.

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

Economic and Development Assistance

The House bill modestly increases funding for economic and development assistance compared to FY26 enacted levels. Specifically, the bill increases funding for the National Security Investment Programs account – created in FY26 by consolidating the Development Assistance (DA), Economic Support Fund (ESF), and Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia (AEECA) accounts – by 2% (+$123 million) compared to the FY26 enacted level.

Additionally, the House bill:

• Makes available up to $1.5 billion – including $750 million from the new NSIP account and another $750 million from several security assistance accounts – for the America First Opportunity Fund (A1OF) to “provide the Secretary of State with flexible resources to respond to unanticipated opportunities to further the America First foreign policy agenda.” This marks the second straight year the House has rejected the Administration’s proposal to make the A1OF a separate appropriations account.
• Maintains funding at FY26 enacted levels for the Democracy Fund, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the Peace Corps. However, consistent with the Administration’s FY27 request, the House bill also rescinds $385 million in previously appropriated funding for the MCC.

ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

Global Health

Overall funding for Global Health Programs is reduced by 6% (-$532 million) compared to the FY26 enacted level but is 73% (+3.76 billion) above the Administration’s FY27 request. Notably, the bill rejects the Administration’s proposal to eliminate disease-specific accounts – retaining the existing program-by-program funding breakdown. A few areas to note:

• Provides a total of $4.3 billion for PEPFAR – 8% (-$350 million) below the FY26 enacted level for bilateral HIV/AIDS. The report also highlights the expectation that “progress be made on transitioning partner countries toward greater ownership thereby reducing United States assistance over time” and requires the State Department to provide an update on the transition strategy.
• Includes $1.25 billion for the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund – equal to the FY26 enacted level.
• Provides $300 million for a U.S. contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which is eliminated in the Administration’s FY27 request.
• Makes significant cuts to Global Health Security, although the bill does not include a specific funding level. Even if the $497 million in unallocated Global Health funding was made available for Global Health Security, this would amount to a 19% (-$119 million) decrease compared to the FY26 enacted level.
• Reduces funding for international family planning – which was zeroed out in the Administration’s FY27 request – by 24% (-$147 million) compared to the FY26 enacted level. The bill also prohibits funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and implements the Protecting Life in Foreign Assistance, the Administration’s sweeping expansion of the Mexico City Policy.

GLOBAL HEALTH*

Multilateral Assistance

Consistent with the Administration’s FY27 request, the House bill makes significant cuts to both U.S. assessed and voluntary contributions to the UN and other international organizations. Of note:

• The Contributions to International Organizations (CIO) account, which covers assessed contributions to the UN and other international organizations, receives a total of $310 million – a 78% (-$1.1 billion) cut compared to the FY26 enacted level. The bill prohibits funding for the World Health Organization and although the report does not allocate funds to specific agencies, it explicitly states that funding is not provided for the UN Regular Budget and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO).
• Zeroes out the International Organizations and Programs (IO&P) account, which covers voluntary contributions to a range of international organizations such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). However, the report specifies that funds under the NSIP account may be made available for UNICEF.
• Reduces funding for U.S. contributions to the World Bank and other international financial institutions (IFIs) by 41% (-$634 million) compared to the FY26 enacted level. Notably, this is one area where the House bill includes a cut that is deeper than the Administration’s request, which would have reduced funding for IFIs by 21% (-$324 million).

Global Workforce, Infrastructure, and Operations

In general, the House bill largely sustains funding for personnel and other operating costs associated with the U.S. presence around the world compared to FY26 enacted levels. Of note:

• Increases funding for Diplomatic Programs (DP), which funds State Department staffing and operations, by 4% (+$403 million). By comparison, the Administration’s FY27 request includes only a slight 0.1% (+$10 million) boost. However, consistent with the Administration’s request, the House bill rescinds $455 million in previously appropriated DP funding.
• Reduces by 1% (-$23 million) funding for Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance compared to the FY26 enacted level.

Other Notable Areas

• Competing with China: The House bill provides $400 million for the Countering PRC Influence Fund, the same level provided for FY26, and directs that $1.8 billion in economic and security assistance be allocated to implement the Indo-Pacific Strategy.
• Food Security: The House bill provides $720 million for food security and agricultural development programs – equal to the FY26 enacted level. Of this total, not less than $175 million is provided for international agricultural research – of which at least $72 million is for Feed the Future Innovation Labs.
• Democracy and Governance: The House bill sustains funding for democracy-related programs across all foreign assistance accounts at the FY26 enacted level of $2.18 billion. It also rejects the Administration’s FY27 proposal to eliminate funding for the Democracy Fund (DF) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), holding flat funding for the DF at $205 million while cutting NED by 6% (-$19 million).
• Agency for Global Media: The House bill includes $575 million for International Communications Activities – a new State Department-administered account proposed in the Administration’s FY27 request to replace the U.S. Agency for Global Media. This represents a 12% (-$78 million) cut compared to the FY26 enacted level for USAGM.
• Environment and Climate: The House bill prohibits U.S. contributions to both the Green Climate Fund and the Clean Technology Fund and reduces funding for the Global Environment Facility by 7% (-$11 million).

II.     House Appropriators Approve FY27 Agriculture Bill

This week, the House Appropriations Committee also approved its FY27 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which provides funding for two critical international food assistance programs. The House bill rejects the Administration’s proposal to zero out international food assistance funding in FY27 but does include some cuts. Specifically:

• Reduces funding for Food for Peace by 25% (-$300 million).
• Sustains funding for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program at the FY26 enacted level of $240 million.

AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS SNAPSHOT