Democrats Call For a $12B Boost in the U.S. International Affairs Budget
A handful of Democratic lawmakers are proposing a massive, $12 billion boost in the U.S. international affairs budget, money they say should go toward fighting climate change, preparing for pandemics, and competing with China.
The initiative follows years of attempts by then-President Donald Trump to slash the budgets of government divisions such as the State Department by as much as a third. While Congress blocked Trump’s cuts, getting a $12 billion increase through a 50-50 Senate will be difficult given likely Republican resistance to more government spending.
Still, the lawmakers making the pitch — Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland; and Reps. Ami Bera of California and David Cicilline of Rhode Island — see it as a fortuitous time, especially considering the lessons the U.S. is learning as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. They argue that it makes no sense to keep investing more money in the U.S. military while ignoring the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and similar programs.
