NEWS
House Appropriations Committee
Chairman Hal Rogers
Website address: http://appropriations.house.gov/
For Immediate Release: June 11, 2015
Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2016 State and Foreign Operations Bill
Legislation will advance U.S. security abroad, support humanitarian aid, and cut lower-priority international programs to save tax dollars
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Appropriations Committee today approved the fiscal year 2016 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill on a voice vote. The legislation funds the State Department and foreign assistance – prioritizing funding for American security efforts abroad, as well as critical humanitarian aid to areas facing war, conflict, and instability. The bill also supports activities to increase stability and security in areas such as the Middle East, Ukraine, and Latin America, and targets funds to embassy security, global health, refugee, and democracy programs. In order to make these focused investments, the bill reduces funds in nonessential or lower-priority areas.
In total, the bill provides $47.8 billion in both regular discretionary and Global War on Terror (GWOT) funding. This total is $1.4 billion below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level and $6.1 billion below the President’s request for these programs. Within this amount, GWOT funding totals $7.3 billion – $1.9 billion below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level – to support operations and programs in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, to provide emergency humanitarian relief, and to promote counterterrorism and stabilization efforts in critical areas around the globe.
“This bill rightly prioritizes national security – providing critical aid to our strategic allies, securing key diplomatic outposts, and investing in programs that will grow democracy across the world. This funding will help find and defeat terrorists, prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, support peacekeeping operations, and fight drug trafficking,” Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers said. “The bill also helps build democracy worldwide – targeting funds to life-saving development, global health, and humanitarian aid programs.”
State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairwoman Kay Granger said:
“This legislation is first and foremost a national security bill. We live in an increasingly dangerous world where terrorist groups threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and our way of life. We see Russia and China continuing to assert territorial ambitions against its neighbors, and the threat of a nuclear Iran and its support and financing of terrorists is real,” Chairwoman Granger said. “The United States must do more to lead on the world’s stage. This bill addresses challenges head-on and demonstrates our commitment to programs that promote global security and American prosperity.”
The following amendment to the bill were adopted by the full committee today:
Rep. Granger – The manager’s amendment makes technical and non-controversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
The bill was approved on a voice vote.
For a summary of the bill, please visit:
http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394231
For the text of the bill, please visit:
For the bill report, please visit:
http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hrpt-114-hr-fy2016-stateforop.pdf
