Rep. Ami Bera Statement Opposing House GOP’s State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Funding Bill

Today, U.S. Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, issued a statement following his vote against the House Republicans' State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs funding bill:

"As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, I have the privilege of traveling around the Indo-Pacific region to meet with dedicated State Department and USAID staff who proudly serve our nation. Through my travels, I've heard firsthand from U.S. Ambassadors about current State Department staffing shortages, which impede the efforts of our embassies to advance U.S. strategic interests in this critical region. The proposed 12% cut in this legislation threatens to further exacerbate this gap and diminish America's leadership on the world stage.

"At a time when the People's Republic of China (PRC) is expanding its diplomatic footprint in the Indo-Pacific and abroad, enacting budget cuts in this vital arena is misguided and counterproductive. We can't outcompete China if we are asking our diplomats and development professionals to enact more programming with fewer staff.

"Earlier this year, I traveled to our new embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga, and was impressed to see how much our small teams of diplomatic staff were able to accomplish with such few resources - such as building relationships with key leaders, strengthening people-to-people ties with local populations, and offering development and aid alternatives to PRC programming throughout the Pacific. If the U.S. wants to grow our influence in the region, we must be present to listen and respond to the needs of our partners.

"We must provide the resources to our dedicated staff and personnel to succeed in this important mission. I will continue working across the aisle to ensure that we properly resource our State and Foreign Operations Budget. America's security and prosperity in the 21st century depend on getting this right."