00:00President. Senator New Hampshire. Thank you, Mr. President. I come to the floor today as we consider
00:07a rescission package that would cancel billions of dollars in foreign assistance. It would make
00:14permanent the cuts that were carried out by Doge earlier this year. That was when this
00:23administration gave Elon Musk the authority to put American foreign aid programs through the
00:28woodchipper. They justified those cuts by saying they would save money. But here we are, six months
00:35later, not only have they passed a reconciliation bill that increases the national debt by more than
00:41$3 trillion, that shifts the financial burden to state and local governments. In New Hampshire,
00:47there is going to be a massive cost shift because of the passage of that bill. And for all the talk
00:55about saving money, I don't think Doge has saved a dime. Earlier this spring, CBS News reported that
01:03the federal government has spent $200 billion more in its first 100 days this year than it did last
01:12year. And according to the Partnership for Public Service, Doge's cuts could cost American taxpayers
01:19as much as $135 billion this year alone. And this rescission package is no better. And the substitute that
01:31we've seen so far is a gimmick. It claims to preserve funding for global health programs like HIV, malaria,
01:38and tuberculosis, for agricultural research, for the countering PRC influence fund. But it doesn't
01:49actually restore those funds. So a vote for the substitute is a vote to cut critical foreign assistance
01:57programs. And one thing is clear. While American diplomacy and foreign aid amount to less than one
02:04percent, less than one percent of our federal budget, the return on that investment delivers real
02:12dividends to American consumers and American businesses. As you can see, U.S. Development
02:20Assistance supports more than 100,000 U.S. jobs. This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
02:27minority released a report that highlights what cutting these programs does. This is the report
02:34Mr. President. I think you've seen it in the committee. It's called The Price of Retreat.
02:42America cedes global leadership to China. What has been done in these foreign assistance programs helps
02:56China expand its influence. Through research and staff travel and meetings with NGOs and foreign officials,
03:03the report shows that the Trump administration's cuts to the State Department, to foreign assistance,
03:09and to other programs directly threaten our national security and our prosperity. They severely undermine
03:17our ability to compete with our main adversary, China. And they do that both in the national security space
03:24and in the economic space. You know, Secretary Rubio said at his confirmation hearing that, and I quote,
03:33the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted is China.
03:42It's true. The People's Republic of China presents the United States with a strategic challenge
03:48that is distinct from any in our nation's history. While our competition with China often seems distant
03:55from the United States, the reality is the outcome of this competition is deeply tied to our economy,
04:02to our security, and to our lives here at home. Because whether we're combating unfair trade practices
04:09and the theft of intellectual property, or we're stopping the flow of fentanyl into our communities,
04:16or protecting Americans from spying and cyber attacks, or helping U.S. companies stay ahead in
04:22developing batteries, electric vehicles, and AI, the stakes are very high. And the threat to our prosperity
04:31and our security is real. I don't think most Americans want to live in a world where the Chinese
04:38Communist Party is driving the agenda. But instead of strength and focus, what we've seen from this
04:45administration is a chaotic haphazard retreat from the global stage. Excuse me.
04:54Oh, they talk a good game on the danger that China poses. But actions speak louder than words. And when
05:05it comes to confronting Beijing, this administration has no consistent message and no coherent strategy. And
05:13they are eliminating critical programs, disease surveillance and prevention, scientific research,
05:20disaster response. And now, now we just had a hearing in the Foreign Relations Committee,
05:27and we talked about this. The Trump administration is preparing to incinerate 500 tons of emergency food.
05:38500 tons. And the cost of that food was $800,000. It's already been paid for by taxpayers. And it's going to
05:48cost another $130,000 to incinerate it. So talk about waste. That's enough food to feed one and a half million
05:59children for a week. But thanks to chaotic and inept decisions, cutting funding, firing staff, gutting key
06:08programs, American taxpayers are going to foot the bill for this. And children are going to go hungry.
06:17These erratic self-defeating policies are in stark contrast to what we're seeing from the Chinese Communist Party,
06:25which has been, sadly, very clear and deliberate in its strategy. Because the PRC is playing the long game.
06:35It's using tactics like disinformation, political interference, cyber attacks, and economic coercion.
06:43Within days of cuts to foreign aid programs, China was already labeling the United States as an unreliable
06:52partner. And within months, Beijing was replacing programs that we had cut. So look where we are today.
07:01We can look at the number of cuts to American embassies and consulates around the world.
07:14And while the administration proposes slashing America's international affairs budget by 84 percent,
07:21China is boosting its diplomatic budget by 8 percent. As we cut diplomatic staff and consider embassy
07:31closures, China operates one of the world's largest diplomatic missions with 278 missions.
07:40And while the U.S. shuts down networks like Radio Free Asia, China is spending billions on propaganda,
07:48expanding into 80 new frequencies and more languages. Our first hearing in the Foreign Relations
07:54Committee at the beginning of this year was on China. And what we heard at that hearing was that
08:00the PRC in China is spending more than a billion dollars a year on misinformation and disinformation
08:07campaigns. And what have we done in response? We've cut Radio Free Asia. We've cut those
08:15networks that provide information to the people who China is trying to manipulate.
08:24So while we're cutting counter-narcotics programs, China is working with Latin American countries to
08:30build law enforcement capacity. And as the administration moves to defund international bodies like the UN,
08:38China has pledged more than 500 million dollars to the World Health Organization.
08:45And, you know, it's so crazy. The administration has been attacking universities like Harvard
08:53and saying that they are not going to allow them to include any international students.
09:00And what's Hong Kong doing on behalf of the PRC? They're offering places to talented STEM students
09:09who are looking to leave the United States. And while we threaten allies with tariffs,
09:15China's courting them across Europe, Asia, and the Western Hemisphere. In May, Xi Jinping hosted Brazil's
09:24president and other Latin American leaders and pledged more than nine billion dollars in investments.
09:31I was with a group of senators at the Paris air show earlier this year.
09:37It's an exhibition that highlights the latest in aircraft and aerospace and military aircraft.
09:46And when we met with our embassy officials, they told us that they saw the biggest presence ever from China at that exhibition.
09:59And that China has opened three new consulates in France, nearly 20, over 20 Confucius Institutes in France.
10:08So China's not just looking at Africa, at the Indo-Pacific.
10:13They're looking at countries that have been our traditional allies.
10:19And what's the administration doing? It's suggesting that it's going to close U.S. diplomatic posts in these same regions.
10:27China is eating our lunch when it comes to diplomacy, when it comes to the investments that we need to make around the world.
10:37And yet here we are today, we're considering a rescission package that's going to further benefit the Chinese Communist Party.
10:48Leaders across the political spectrum, Democrats and Republicans alike, have agreed since I got to the United States Senate.
10:57And I thought the administration agreed with us, that the biggest threat to America's security, both economic and national security, is China, the People's Republic of China.
11:13We need to come together.
11:15We need to make sure that America doesn't retreat from the global stage.
11:18And the good news is that despite the cuts, despite the administration policies, there is still broad bipartisan agreement that American leadership on the global stage is essential.
11:33And that China's expanding global footprint makes us less safe and less prosperous.
11:39So to my colleagues here in Congress who are considering this rescissions package that codified these cuts, remember this.
11:51It's not too late.
11:53We can move to reverse the damage that's been done in the first six months.
11:59We can preserve America's ability to lead, to compete, and to shape the future on America's terms,
12:06not on the terms of the Chinese Communist Party.
