Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 8771 - Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2025

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(House Rules)
(Rep. Cole, R-OK)

The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 8771, making appropriations for the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs for the fiscal year (FY) ending September 30, 2025 and for other purposes.

Earlier this year, the Administration and members of both parties in the Congress came together to pass bipartisan appropriations bills to fund programs that keep Americans safe and healthy, invest in education and affordable housing, and build on the economic progress of the past three and a half years. These appropriations bills are consistent with the agreement the President and House Republican leadership reached last year to avoid a first-ever default and protect the President's investment agenda and critical programs from deep cuts, using necessary adjustments to statutory caps.

Rather than respecting their agreement and taking the opportunity to engage in a productive, bipartisan appropriations process to build on last year's bills, House Republicans are again wasting time with partisan bills that would result in deep cuts to law enforcement, education, housing, healthcare, consumer safety, energy programs that lower utility bills and combat climate change, and essential nutrition services.

The draft bills also include numerous, partisan policy provisions with devastating consequences including harming access to reproductive healthcare, threatening the health and safety of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Americans, endangering marriage equality, hindering critical climate change initiatives, and preventing the Administration from promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Administration stands ready to engage with both chambers of the Congress in a bipartisan appropriations process to enact responsible appropriations bills that fully fund Federal agencies in a timely manner.

If the President were presented with H.R. 8771, he would veto it.

The Administration would like to take this opportunity to share additional views regarding the House Appropriations Committee's (Committee) version of the bill.

Department of State and Other International Programs

Indo-Pacific Strategy. The Administration appreciates that the Committee seeks to provide at least $2.1 billion for development, humanitarian, and security assistance programs to advance the Indo-Pacific Strategy. However, the Administration is deeply concerned that the sharp reductions to funding for State and the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) personnel and operations would hinder the ability to successfully implement these programs in the Indo-Pacific region, erode the U.S. diplomatic presence around the globe, and cede diplomatic and development ground to the People's Republic of China (PRC) and other malign actors.

High-Leverage Programs. The Administration is deeply concerned with the lack of funding in the bill to support high-leverage, transparent financing options that offer a credible alternative to the PRC's coercive lending. These high-leverage programs are the only realistic way to reach the scale of assistance needed to provide a U.S.-led value proposition for developing country partners, which is a core national security priority. The bill fails to include the Administration's request for $1 billion to boost World Bank lending capacity by $36 billion and make lending more affordable, which would leverage additional contributions from partners around the world to provide over $100 billion in new support for low-and middle-income countries and reduce their reliance on the PRC. The bill also fails to support resources for Treasury International Assistance Programs to fund emergent needs, mobilize resources from global partners, and to counter the PRC's aggressive investment for influence approach. The Administration also urges the Congress to provide the $250 million requested for the Administration's Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment Fund, which would mobilize and leverage capital to support high-quality infrastructure to connect workers to good jobs, allow businesses to grow, and advance shared national security priorities.

Treasury International Programs. The Administration is deeply concerned that the bill does not include the authorizations for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota increase or full support for the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), which are essential to maintain American leadership on the world stage. In particular, the reduction to the International Development Association would hinder the World Bank's ability to provide grants and concessional lending to the world's 75 poorest and most vulnerable countries and also fails to provide a sustainable, transparent, high-quality alternative to Chinese lending. In addition, if the Congress does not authorize and appropriate funding consistent with the Administration's request for capital increases at the IFIs, particularly for Inter-American Development Bank Invest, the United States risks diminishing U.S. shareholding and voting power—an outcome that could be exploited by China, among other malign actors, to negatively influence Latin America and the Caribbean. Failure to appropriate the full funding also requested for European Bank for Reconstruction and Development capital increase could also result in forfeiting shares allocated to the United States and reduction in U.S. voting power.

Humanitarian Assistance. The Administration is deeply concerned with the significant reductions to life-saving humanitarian assistance funding during a time of record displacement and complex challenges globally. The bill provides no funding for the President's Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund, which is currently depleted and requires replenishment. The Administration is also deeply concerned with the bill's prohibition on funding for the Safe Mobility Offices (SMOs) and the Welcome Corps program. The SMOs are a critical and cost-effective part of the U.S. Government's strategy to reduce irregular migration by supporting the long-term integration of migrants within the region, establishing lawful migration pathways, and coordinating enforcement efforts to combat human trafficking and smuggling and prevent the exploitation of migrants. The Welcome Corps program was established to meet the demand among Americans to sponsor refugees directly, reflecting Americans' generous desire to provide safe haven to vulnerable people and their recognition that refugees contribute to the American economy and enrich American towns and cities.

West Bank and Gaza Restrictions and Additional Directives. The Administration is deeply concerned about the growing number of restrictions and requirements for the West Bank and Gaza, including the directive to split the West Bank and Gaza into separate units, restrictions on certain types of assistance, and the prohibition against resettling refugees from Gaza. The Administration also opposes attempts to constrain the President's ability to deploy resources and manage defense exports consistent with U.S. foreign policy objectives and well-established laws and regulations.

Diplomatic and Development Workforce. The Administration strongly opposes that the bill would reduce funding for America's international affairs workforce and operations by nearly 20 percent below the FY 2025 Budget request. This sharp reduction would significantly curtail implementation of U.S. foreign policy, and would reduce U.S. presence overseas. The bill could force the Department of State and USAID to implement hiring freezes, reductions in force, and contract suspensions.

United Nations (UN) and Other International Organizations. The Administration strongly opposes the exclusion of funding in the bill for the UN regular budget and other international organizations. The bill includes more than $1 billion in draconian reductions that would undermine U.S. leadership in times of crisis when its critical to counter Chinese and Russian efforts to shape international organizations, and would limit the United States' ability to meet its treaty obligations and address shared global challenges. The bill also provides no funding for the International Organizations and Programs account, which would eliminate critical resources to more than 40 organizations such as the UN Children's Fund to help relieve suffering of children around the world; UNESCO, which protects freedoms for journalists and world heritage sites; UN Women; UN Development Program; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which plays a critical role in efforts to hold those responsible for human rights violations to account.

Global Health Programs. The Administration appreciates that the Committee fully supports the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and funds the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. However, the Administration strongly opposes that the bill reduces funding for global health programs by $559 million below the FY 2025 Budget request. The Administration urges the Congress to fully fund Global Health Security at $900 million, which is critical to make the United States and the world safer from the growing frequency and impact of biological threats, including those with natural, accidental, or deliberate origin. The Administration is also concerned that section 7048(k) would prohibit funding to the World Health Organization, an essential partner in U.S. global health efforts for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, vaccine-preventable diseases, global health security and strengthening health systems. In addition, the restrictions in section 7048(l) would severely impede the United States' ability to engage in international agreements designed to protect Americans from biological threats, including those that might cause the next pandemic, and would directly undermine our national security, putting the health and safety of Americans at risk.

Reproductive Health Restrictions. The Administration strongly opposes the bill's extreme restrictions on lifesaving global voluntary family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) services and other global health assistance that would undermine U.S. efforts to combat infectious diseases and to advance gender equality. Section 7058(b) of the bill imposes a cap on FP/RH funding levels that is far below the longstanding enacted level and the FY 2025 Budget request, cutting essential health services to women. Further, section 7057(a) of the bill prohibits funding for the UN Population Fund which works to prevent maternal deaths, address voluntary family planning, prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and to end harmful practices around the world. In addition, section 7057(b) of the bill would apply a harmful policy that imposes excessive conditions that would undermine foreign and development assistance. Similar draconian restrictions, which were ended by the President during his first days in office, affected local partners around the world, limiting the United States' ability to work with these partners and inhibiting their efforts to confront a range of health challenges, including combatting diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). The Administration remains steadfast in its commitment to resettle Afghans who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan for two decades. Since the Congress passed the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009, the U.S. Government has issued more than 125,000 Afghan SIVs to principal applicants and their eligible family members. The Administration is disappointed that the bill fails to provide the requested increase of 20,000 visas to the Afghan SIV program, which has long-enjoyed bipartisan support. The Administration strongly urges the Congress to continue to demonstrate America's commitment to its Afghan partners by increasing the Afghan SIV cap to ensure that visas remain available.

Prohibitions. The Administration strongly opposes the inclusion of prohibitions throughout the bill, such as sections 7029(k), 7064(c)(4), 7061(a), 7061(b), 7061(c), 7061(d), 7061(e), 7061(f), 7061(g), and 7059(f) that limit the Administration's flexibility in advancing key national security priorities. These include prohibitions that put funding to address the security threat of climate change through the Green Climate Fund and funding provided for LGBTQI+ individuals, under threat. The bill further prohibits funding for the Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund, focused on advancing women's economic security.

Rescissions and Administration Flexibility. The Administration strongly opposes the overall topline for the Department of State and USAID in the State and Foreign Operations bill, which is 12 percent below the 2024 enacted level and 17 percent below the FY 2025 Budget request. This would be the lowest funding level since 2015 and would not allow the Administration to advance critical U.S. national security interests, or capably support the American people both domestically and abroad. The Administration strongly rejects the additional rescissions of over $640 million, which would drastically reduce the U.S. Government's ability to defend shared national security interests. The Administration is also concerned that the bill restricts the U.S. Government's flexibility to use foreign assistance resources and revokes long-standing authorities. In addition, the bill increases the number of hard directives that limit the Administration's ability to prioritize limited foreign assistance resources to address the most pressing needs.

Constitutional Concerns

Certain provisions of the draft bill raise constitutional concerns, including by interfering with the President's authority to determine the command of the armed forces, to recognize territorial sovereignty, and to conduct diplomacy. As the FY 2025 appropriations process moves forward, the Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to address these and other concerns.

The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress as the FY 2025 appropriations process moves forward.