Majority News Releases
Currently showing results related to State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Opening Remarks of Chairman Leahy on the Appropriations Hearing on the FY 2022 State Department Budget Request
Welcome Secretary Blinken. I will begin by making my opening statement. I understand Vice Chairman Shelby will defer to Senator Graham, Ranking Member on the State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee for his opening statement. Then I will turn to Senator Coons, our new Chairman of the State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee, for his opening statement. Mr. Secretary, this Committee funds every aspect of the State Department's operations and programs. You cannot turn the lights on, or power your … Continue Reading
03.05.20
Senate Approps. Vice Chair Leahy Statement Ahead of Senate Passage of the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental
This week, Congress showed strong, decisive leadership in addressing the novel coronavirus. As Appropriators often do, and as members of Congress proved they are still capable of doing even in the most partisan times, we put our labels aside and came together for the American people. Unfortunately, this is something the President has not done. By actively spreading misinformation on national television and downplaying the potential risks to the American people, I am concerned the President… Continue Reading
02.13.20
Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Coronavirus Virus
Since first emerging in Wuhan, China on December 31st, the outbreak of a new coronavirus, COVID-19 ("novel coronavirus"), has spread to 25 countries, infected more than 44,000 people, caused at least 1,100 deaths, forced entire cities into lockdown, triggered hundreds of international flight cancelations, restricted hundreds of Americans to U.S. military bases in a federal government quarantine, and caused significant economic harm to countries and businesses around the globe. All this in only … Continue Reading
01.27.20
Dispelling The Myth That President Trump’s Ukraine Aid Freeze Was Rooted In His Desire To Combat Corruption
After President Trump's illegal Ukraine aid freeze scheme was exposed, he has claimed that he froze the aid out of a desire to fight corruption. That is a myth. There is no evidence that he cares about fighting corruption in Ukraine or anywhere else. The Trump administration has sought to gut foreign aid accounts that help fight corruption, including in Ukraine; has not sought to freeze aid to governments widely considered to have more corruption challenges than those in Ukraine; and is actively… Continue Reading
01.24.20
FACT CHECK: President Trump’s False Claim Equating His Illegal Ukraine Aid Freeze With President Obama’s Lawful, Legitimate Pauses On Aid
President Trump has argued that the House Managers' case against his Ukraine aid freeze is "loaded with lies and misrepresentations" because it fails to acknowledge that the "Obama administration withheld aid from many countries." This argument, which has been echoed by other Republicans, draws patently false equivalence between Trump's misconduct and President Obama's actions. Unlike Trump's Ukraine aid freeze, which was for personal, political purposes and which the Government Accountability … Continue Reading
09.26.19
SUMMARY: Fiscal Year 2020 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. (Thursday, September 26, 2019) - The bill provides $55 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $8 billion for overseas contingency operations (OCO). The allocation is $11.6 billion above the President's request as scored by CBO, and $782 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, said: "The President sent us a budget … Continue Reading
09.26.19
Statement Of Vice Chairman Leahy On Committee Consideration Of Five FY 2020 Appropriations Bills
The Committee has five bills before it today-the Interior bill, the State, Foreign Operations bill, the Commerce, Justice, Science bill, the Homeland Security bill, and the Legislative Branch bill. In a moment I will read the motion to report all five bills. I recommend an AYE vote on four of these bills -Interior, State, Foreign Operations, CJS, and Legislative Branch - and for reasons I will talk about in a moment, I urge a NO vote on the Homeland Bill. I want to thank Chairman Murkowski a… Continue Reading
08.28.18
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Decision Not To Submit A Second Rescission Package
"This is a welcome decision. In the Senate, we are moving forward on appropriations bills that have bipartisan support, that are at spending levels agreed to in the bipartisan budget deal, and that reject poison pill riders and controversial authorizing language. This is a process that requires trust, a trust that would have been damaged by such a proposal. Rescinding funds that had been agreed to by Congress and signed into law by the President, in the waning days of the fiscal year, would h… Continue Reading
06.21.18
SUMMARY -- FY 2019 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. (Thursday, June 21, 2018) - The bill provides $54.418 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $8 billion in OCO. The allocation is $12.2 billion above the President's request as scored by CBO, and $400 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, said: "This bill is an example of the Congress rejecting the divisive, reck… Continue Reading
06.21.18
Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On The FY 19 Homeland Security, SFOPS, and FSGG Appropriations Bill
The Committee has three bills before us today - the State, Foreign Operations bill, Department of Homeland Security bill, and the Financial Services and General Government bill. I thank all of the Chairs and Ranking Members for their hard work. As the Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I will reserve my remarks on the bill until we turn to it. I will note that I worked closely with Senator Graham, as we always do, in drafting the bill, and I believe we produced a tr… Continue Reading
06.19.18
SUMMARY -- FY2019 State & Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill Approved by Senate Subcommittee
Washington, D.C. (Tuesday, June 19, 2018) - The bill provides $54.418 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $8 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations. The allocation is $12.2 billion above the President's request and $400 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, said: "This bill is an example of the Congress rejecting the divi… Continue Reading
05.22.18
Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats Call On President Trump To Not Claw Back Vital Funds To Combat Ebola And Other Infectious Diseases
WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, May 22, 2018) -- In a letter led by Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), committee Democrats are urging President Trump to not claw back vital funding intended to combat the Ebola virus and other deadly infectious diseases around the world. Millions of Americans are traveling, studying, and working overseas. And outbreaks of dangerous diseases are only one airplane flight away from reaching the United States and other nations. In ear… Continue Reading
09.07.17
SUMMARY: FY2018 SFOPS Appropriations Bill Clears Committee
WASHINGTON (Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2017) - The bill provides $51.195 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $20.785 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations. The allocation is $10.7 billion above the President's request as scored by CBO, but it is $1.9 billion below the fiscal year 2017 enacted level when factoring in fiscal year 2017 funding for famine relief but not the Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017. U.S. Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of th… Continue Reading
09.06.17
SUMMARY: FY2018 State & Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill Clears Senate Subcommittee
WASHINGTON (Wednesday, September 6, 2017) - The bill provides $51.195 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $20.785 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations. The allocation is $10.7 billion above the President's request as scored by CBO, but it is $1.9 billion below the fiscal year 2017 enacted level when factoring in fiscal year 2017 funding for famine relief but not the Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017. U.S. Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vt.), Ranking Member o… Continue Reading
05.24.17
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On President Trump’s Plan To End Funding For International Family Planning
Mr. President, there are far too many illogical, arbitrary, and harmful cuts in spending, and wholly unbalanced priorities, in the President's proposed fiscal year 2018 budget to list at one time. I will have plenty more to say about that in the weeks and months ahead. But I do want to take a moment to highlight one, as it illustrates the foolhardy way this Administration has sought to appease right-wing ideologues rather than do what is truly in the national interest. For fiscal year 2017, t… Continue Reading
04.04.17
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, On President Trump’s Decision To End U.S. Funding For UNFPA
[Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Department of State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, Tuesday issued the following comment on President Trump's determination under "Kemp-Kasten" to end U.S. contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).] "President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. funding for UNFPA not only will backfire; it is based on a false narrative. The law that President Trump invoked was written t… Continue Reading
03.29.17
Sen. Leahy's Opening Statement at State Dept. and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Hearing On Civil Society Perspectives On Russia
Mr. Chairman, I want to make one observation before we begin, which is that for the past month or two our staffs have been working daily with their House counterparts to finalize our Fiscal Year 2017 bill. They are on track to resolving all but the most contentious issues this week. Then late last Friday we learned that the White House may be proposing a $2.8 billion cut to our 2017 allocation, as part of an $18 billion transfer of funding for non-defense operations and programs to the Pentago… Continue Reading
06.29.16
FY17 State & Foreign Operations Full Committee Markup Bill Summary
Washington, D.C.–The fiscal year 2017 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations bill provides a total of $52.08 billion in non-emergency discretionary budget authority.
U.S. Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, said:
Continue Reading06.29.16
Mikulski Statement at Final Appropriations Full Committee Markup of Career
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, participated in the Full Committee markup of the 12th of 12 bills for fiscal year 2017, as well as the final Appropriations markup of Mikulski’s career. The Full Committee met to consider the fiscal year 2017 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill.
The following are Vice Chairwoman Mikulski’s remarks, as prepared for delivery:
Continue Reading06.28.16
FY17 State & Foreign Operations Subcommittee Markup Bill Summary
Washington, D.C.–The fiscal year 2017 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations bill provides a total of $52.08 billion in non-emergency discretionary budget authority.
U.S. Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, said:
Continue Reading