[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5611-5612]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         STATE DEPARTMENT CUTS

  (Mr. SCHNEIDER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our Nation's 
dedicated diplomats, the hardworking men and women at the State 
Department and USAID who are heroically serving our country here and 
around the world.
  In his very first budget, President Trump has proposed draconian cuts 
to these agencies. These reductions threaten not only our leadership in 
the world, but they put our Nation's people and interests at 
unnecessary risk.
  Our global leadership depends on balanced investment in three areas: 
defense, diplomacy, and development. Undermining any one of these 
pillars weakens all of them.
  The State Department and USAID's effectiveness and success is not a 
function of equipment or technology. Rather, it is the experience, 
capabilities, and strategic deployment of our people.
  In a world where our challenges are, every day, more numerous and 
more complex, we are constantly sending our diplomats to places further 
afield.

[[Page 5612]]

They are deserving of our full support and our utmost respect for their 
bravery, dedication, and service in defense of the United States and 
our values.
  I call on my colleagues to join me in protecting our strategically 
important investments in diplomats, diplomacy, and development, as well 
as defense.

                          ____________________