Bronx, NY—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s Fiscal Year 2021 international affairs budget proposal:

“Like the President’s previous budgets, this year’s request is a waste of the paper it’s printed on. Proposing such reckless cuts to our critical foreign policy tools isn’t a serious proposal. If this draconian budget were enacted, it would weaken our security and leadership around the world. That’s how we know that this budget is nothing but red meat for the President’s political base. Congress will again reject this proposal in resounding bipartisan fashion.

“However, it’s no wonder that as seasoned diplomats have been pushed to the exits, morale at the State Department continues to decline. The work of our public servants is hard enough without having to go to work every day for an administration that has shown such profound contempt for diplomacy and development. Likewise, foreign governments surely look at this administration’s priorities and see an America shrinking away from the world stage, willing to cede ground to rivals who are happy to fill the void.

“As Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I’ll keep pushing for stronger investments in diplomacy, development, and a foreign policy that’s rooted in American values.”

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