WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Chair of the Senate State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) Appropriations Subcommittee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request:
“President Biden’s budget request demonstrates the administration’s commitment to promoting our interests, protecting our national security, and upholding our values by proposing meaningful increases for the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and related foreign affairs agencies. We have a lot of work ahead of us to enhance America’s global economic competitiveness, bolster our partners against aggression and economic coercion, strengthen global health security, and leverage private-sector financing to address the most pressing development needs. By strengthening the Development Finance Corporation and similar development tools, we can combine public and private funds to better compete globally with China’s Belt and Road Initiative and advance our global role in economic development.
“We cannot afford to fall short on these investments, and we will need a well-trained and well-equipped diplomatic and development workforce to carry out this vital work. I am grateful for the priorities in President Biden’s budget, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass a fiscal year 2024 Appropriations bill that builds on our bipartisan work to enhance American prosperity and security.”
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