Schatz Statement On House & Senate Negotiated State And Foreign Operations FY 2026 Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, today issued the following statement after the House and Senate negotiated text of the State and Foreign Operations FY 2026 Appropriations bill was released.

"A year after President Trump began illegally and recklessly gutting American foreign assistance, this bill is proof that there remains broad, bipartisan support for critical investments that advance our national interests and promote our values. This bill preserves what's working and restores funding for a range of priorities, including U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific, global food security in partnership with American universities, economic growth and development, and global health. The bill also sustains our investments in our diplomatic workforce and rejects the President's efforts to retreat from multilateral institutions. Together, these investments will save lives, strengthen our alliances and partnerships around the world, rebuild American competitiveness, and make Americans safer at home.

"While this bill is far better than a full year Continuing Resolution that would fail to address the terrible status quo, I'm disappointed by some of the steep cuts to important programs. We can't do more with less when global instability is at an all-time high. And though we've enhanced transparency and oversight mechanisms and closed loopholes the administration used over the last year to abuse foreign assistance, we should have gone further to constrain the administration from arbitrarily cutting off effective, longstanding partnerships. For example, while the bill ensures continued funding for our international broadcasting grantees, it forces cuts at a time when they are trying to provide critical services in Ukraine, the Middle East, and across the Indo-Pacific.

"The work of rebuilding American foreign assistance will continue, but this is an important first step."

Key Points & Highlights:

Global Health: The bill includes $9.4 billion for global health programs-$5.6 billion higher than the level requested by President Trump-to support critical health initiatives, including to: combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio; advance global health security; and strengthen programs to support maternal and child health, vulnerable children, and more. The bill protects longstanding funding for family planning and reproductive health services, includes funding for nutrition programs and efforts to combat neglected tropical diseases, and includes funding for a U.S. contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance-all of which President Trump sought to eliminate. The bill includes $3 billion above President Trump's request for programs to combat HIV/AIDS, including funding for a U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and it requires additional reporting on the administration's America First Global Health Strategy. The bill also includes a new directive to support the research, development, and delivery of vaccines and other innovative technologies for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other infectious diseases.

Economic and Development Assistance: The bill includes $6.8 billion for a new, consolidated National Security Investment Programs account to support bilateral economic and development assistance, including: economic resilience, food security and agricultural development, counter trafficking in persons, education, conservation and energy, water and sanitation, women's empowerment, and other programs to advance prosperity and development globally. This is $3.9 billion above the level requested by President Trump and will restore activities canceled in 2025 through partisan rescission and illegal impoundment.

Humanitarian Assistance: The bill provides $5.5 billion for humanitarian assistance programs with new oversight requirements to ensure that funds are prioritized to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs across the globe.

Democracy Programs: The bill rejects President Trump's request to eliminate a Department of State account for democracy programming and fully funds the National Endowment for Democracy at $315 million.

International Organizations: The bill rejects President Trump's request to eliminate support for the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations, making $3.3 billion available to pay dues to these organizations and ensure the United States preserves its global leadership role.

Department of State Operations: The bill maintains full funding-$9.7 billion-for the Department of State to carry out its diplomatic and foreign assistance activities across the globe, and it supports investments in State's workforce, with increased funding for diplomatic security, information technology, and cybersecurity.

Food Security: The bill includes $720 million for food security and agricultural development programs, including not less than $72 million to restore funding for Feed the Future Innovation Labs that support partnerships between U.S. universities and developing country research institutions to advance novel solutions to pressing food security challenges. The bill also includes $54 million for a U.S. contribution to the International Fund for Agricultural Development and funding to increase the procurement and delivery of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods.

Supporting Allies and Partners: The bill includes critical funding to strengthen cooperation with allies and partners across the globe, including by: providing more than $1.8 billion for implementation of the Indo-Pacific Strategy and fully funding the Countering PRC Influence Fund; protecting funding for partners in Europe and Eurasia to counter threats from the Russian Federation; ensuring restoration of U.S. engagement in sub-Saharan Africa; and sustaining international security assistance and training programs across the globe.

Development Finance, Export, and Trade: The bill maintains full funding for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to operationalize its recent reauthorization; for the Export-Import Bank and its supply chain resilience and related activities; and for the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Independent Agencies: The bill includes $830 million for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) -$606 million above President Trump's request-and provides flexibility for MCC to address programmatic issues stemming from the 2025 foreign aid reviews and stop-work orders. The bill also includes $410.5 million for the Peace Corps and $157.8 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission. The bill completely rejects the Trump administration's plans to eliminate independent entities.

Assistance Effectiveness, Transparency, and Oversight: The bill includes new provisions requiring enhanced transparency and oversight to reassert the role of Congress and help ensure congressional directives and other requirements cannot be circumvented.

Defeating Republican Riders: The bill rejects more than 15 extreme riders included in House Republicans' bill-from attacks on reproductive health to prohibitions on U.S. engagement in international environmental initiatives.

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