During a House Appropriations Committee markup meeting held before the Congressional recess, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) spoke about the FY26 State Department Bill.
00:00Lady, gentlelady from Florida, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, is recognized for remarks on the bill.
00:06Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:08First, I want to congratulate first-time Cardinal Lois Frankel on her first bill as ranking member for the State Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee.
00:20And, Mr. Chairman, I unfortunately rise in strong opposition to this funding bill.
00:27I mean, at least in name, Republicans have come around to the fact that our engagement in global affairs, our foreign assistance, and our diplomats are national security.
00:36They make us stronger because they deepen and broaden our relationships around the world.
00:40They make us safer by preventing the spread of deadly diseases, countering terrorism, and promoting democracy.
00:46And they make us more prosperous by creating markets for our goods and building partnerships for commerce and innovation.
00:52Foreign assistance is national security, and I hope all of us can now agree on that.
00:56But it's unfortunate that this revelation only came after Trump and Musk ripped USAID limb from limb, betrayed tens of thousands who served our country, and shattered trust in our promises around the world.
01:08Every year in this markup, I and others emphasize this crucial point.
01:12If we give up our seat at the table, we will be on the menu.
01:16And based on the trajectory of this administration, that menu will be written in Mandarin.
01:19Since this administration makes it increasingly clear that, quote, promoting democracy is not a national security interest of the United States, unquote, my Cuban and Venezuelan constituents cry out,
01:32triacion, betrayal.
01:35And they're right.
01:36The Republican foreign aid freeze left Venezuelan and Cuban freedom fighters helpless against regime repression.
01:42Republicans weren't satisfied overturning Roe v. Wade.
01:44They want to impose a global abortion ban that will result in even more women dying in childbirth.
01:50They weren't satisfied cutting Medicaid for working Americans.
01:53They want to take away health assistance for people making less than $2 a day.
01:57And they weren't satisfied cutting school lunches for American kids.
02:00They want to take away emergency rations from kids in war zones with acute malnutrition.
02:05And while children starve and suffer as American crops destined to feed them expired in warehouses,
02:11the world's warlords and autocrats feasted on the spoils of corruption.
02:16And the president has certainly gotten his fill.
02:19After all, the primary focus of his foreign policy seems to be soliciting investors for his cryptocurrency
02:23and leveling tariffs based on whether countries offer him a golf course.
02:28And this bill fails to reverse the Trump administration's isolationist self-sabotage.
02:32It does nothing to repair the damage wrought by dismantling USAID and purging policy experts
02:38in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies from the State
02:43Department.
02:44It does nothing to inhibit Trump's illegal rendition of law-abiding immigrants to war-torn, failed
02:49states.
02:50It does nothing, nothing to rein in Trump's tariffs, which are driving up prices for American
02:55families.
02:56And it does nothing to restrain Trump's corrupt deal-making with dictators like Bukel, Putin,
03:02and Maduro.
03:03In fact, this bill shovels over $1.7 billion for a new mega-maga slush fund.
