WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Howard L. Berman, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement responding to the Republican budget statement on foreign affairs priorities:

“The Ryan budget fails to recognize that diplomacy and development are essential to protecting our national security, alongside defense. In his own words, Chairman Ryan sets up a choice: ‘decline as a world power vs. renewed American leadership.’ But by viewing the choice exclusively in terms of military spending, he cuts the very resources that would make strong and effective U.S. international leadership a reality. The Republican budget would take us down the road of decline as a world power. It neither reflects American values nor serves our national interests.”

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