Washington, DC—Today, Congressman Gregory W. Meeks, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, issued the following statement on the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to diplomacy and development funding:

“This outrageous proposal by President Trump is yet another demonstration of his disrespect for our foreign policy professionals and the work they do in continuing America’s leadership on the international stage. His proposed $17 billion cut to crucial diplomacy and development funding would endanger our national security and undermine Congress’s intended use for these funds. Congress has the Constitutional power of the purse, and these funds were signed into law by President Trump after lengthy, bipartisan congressional negotiations. They are essential to promoting U.S. global leadership and protecting the security of the American people.

“I’m glad this is likely the last recission proposal we’ll have to see from President Trump, and I am looking forward to it facing the same fate as all his prior ones – bipartisan congressional rejection. Sending this in the final six days of his presidency is another short-sighted attempt by President Trump to hobble the incoming Biden administration, but it will not work. I call on Congress to reject this rescission and for incoming President Biden to immediately act to continue his long-standing commitment to the tools of US foreign policy.”