'Those Are American Jobs Being Impacted': Mike Levin Slams Research Funding Cuts In State Dept. Bill

During a House Appropriations Committee markup meeting held before the Congressional recess, Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) spoke about funding cuts.

Transcript

00:00California, Mr. Levin is recognized for remarks on the bill.

00:05Mr. Chairman, I thank the chair of the subcommittee. I thank our ranking members as well, and I

00:10appreciate all the hard work that has gone into this bill, but I unfortunately cannot support it

00:16in its current form. It's been discussed that it cuts roughly a fifth of the foreign aid budget.

00:21Doesn't make America stronger, in my view, makes us more vulnerable. I proudly represent tens of

00:27thousands of Marines and sailors back home. They are the best of the best. I will always have their

00:33back. One of the best ways that I know to support the men and women that I represent in uniform is

00:39to keep them out of unnecessary conflict. War must always be a last resort. That means leading with

00:46diplomacy and leading with smart global engagement. This bill, in my view, moves us in the opposite

00:52direction. It slashes some of the very tools that prevent conflict before it begins. Peacekeeping

00:59operations, humanitarian aid, and global development. When we invest in stability abroad, we protect

01:06American lives, American jobs, and American leadership. But don't take it from me. Here are the words of

01:13President Ronald Reagan, and I quote,

01:16We must remain vigilant in providing the moral and material support to those who are struggling to

01:23resist tyranny and secure a more democratic future. End quote. President Reagan understood

01:31that foreign assistance isn't charity. It's not charity. It's a down payment on a safer, freer world.

01:41Those are his words, not mine. Foreign assistance isn't charity. It's a down payment on a safer,

01:47freer world. Every dollar we spend preventing conflict is a dollar we don't have to spend cleaning

01:55up after a foreign conflict. This bill also underfunds our diplomatic corps and chips away at America's

02:03leadership on the world stage. And when we step back, our adversaries step in. Russia, China,

02:11they're more than happy to fill the void. Strong nations don't just project power, they project purpose.

02:19Our diplomacy, our leadership on global health, our leadership on innovation. These have been

02:27just some of the American strengths that the world has respected. This bill weakens all of them.

02:35It cuts global health programs that stop pandemics before they reach our shores. It undercuts the

02:42world-class research that is happening all across the United States, including in my district,

02:46including in my region in San Diego, and everything from malaria to malnutrition

02:51to fentanyl trafficking. Those are American jobs being impacted. The same goes for clean energy. I

02:59don't mean to be a broken record, but we should be leading the global race, not handing it over

03:05to China. And I'm deeply concerned by the creation of a big slush fund in this bill. Billions of dollars

03:12with little oversight, hand it over to the executive branch. That's not responsible. It's not conservative.

03:20And it's not what we in Congress were elected to do. Just hand over a slush fund. This bill leaves us more

03:28alone. And alone is not how we win. If we want to keep America strong, we have to, yes, lead with strength,

03:36but we also must lead with strategy. That means supporting our great military, but it also means doing

03:42everything we can to prevent the next war before it begins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.