Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL-22), Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's markup of the fiscal year 2026 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs funding bill:

-As Prepared For Delivery-

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Let me start by recognizing the collegiality of Chairman Diaz-Balart and the thoughtful members on both sides of the aisle. I also want to thank the dedicated committee staff—and my own team—for their hard work and guidance. But above all, I want to express my deep gratitude to the public servants who bring American values to life around the world—diplomats, development professionals, and humanitarian workers. They serve and served in some of the most dangerous and difficult places on earth. Many have recently been forced out of their jobs, dismissed without cause or ceremony. To those who’ve served and those still standing: You are patriots. You represent the best of who we are. And we owe you more than thanks—we owe you the tools to do your job.

With the right allocation and a White House that actually valued diplomacy, development, and humanitarianism, I believe we could have crafted a strong, bipartisan measure worthy of our nation’s leadership.

Instead, I rise in fierce opposition to the Republican FY26 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs bill—a reckless, shortsighted blueprint for American retreat.

It follows a deeply troubling pattern. The White House has illegally impounded foreign aid, dismantled USAID, gutted the State Department—all without input from Congress. More than ten thousand USAID staff were dismissed. Over 5,000 aid programs have been axed. Just last week, 1,300 State Department employees were let go. Entire offices eliminated.

And all of this in the middle of a global convergence of crises: armed conflicts, climate disasters, health emergencies, famine, mass migration, and rising authoritarianism.

This is not theoretical. These crises are slamming into us. When fragile states collapse, migration surges. When we cancel trade support, American farmers and manufacturers lose customers. When we fail to build climate resilience, homes and crops are washed away. When global health systems fail, disease reaches our shores. And when the U.S. pulls back, China and Russia are right there to take our place.

Worse still, our closest allies—pressured to increase military spending—are also cutting their foreign aid. So as global needs explode, the soft power of democratic nations is vanishing. And the vacuum left behind? It’s being filled by regimes that don’t share our values—or our interests.

This bill slashes international affairs funding by 22 percent—$13 billion in deep, devastating cuts.

It guts development and economic support: children pulled from classrooms and left without clean water; farmers cut off from tools that feed communities; young entrepreneurs abandoned, fueling extremism and instability; conflict prevention programs eliminated—so violence erupts unchecked; local organizations, our most trusted partners, shut down.

It cuts humanitarian assistance by 42 percent. That’s not just unwise—it’s inhumane: women and girls in conflict zones left without care after suffering horrific sexual violence; refugees denied shelter, medicine, hope; food rations slashed below survival levels in places like Syria, Sudan, Bangladesh; and millions of children dying from malnutrition.

This bill is cruel. It is cold. And it is not who we are.

And of course, Republicans couldn’t resist another attack on women—reviving the Global Gag Rule, gutting funding for the UN Population Fund, and shortchanging family planning programs that save lives and lift up communities.

This bill also abandons multilateral institutions like the United Nations and World Health Organization; it sidelines the U.S. from global decision-making; weakens our ability to promote peace and defend allies; forces partners into the arms of authoritarian regimes; and forfeits the power of burden-sharing through institutions like UNICEF, the World Bank, and the UN.

It's putting China in charge of the world.

Let me be blunt: These cuts are not abstract. They are deadly.

In Nigeria, malnourished infants are dying because therapeutic food deliveries have stopped. In Myanmar, hospitals are shutting their doors in the middle of conflict. In The Gambia, programs to support survivors of female genital mutilation have been halted just as the country debates re-legalizing the practice. In Ukraine, wounded soldiers are going without care. In Afghanistan, pregnant women are being turned away from clinics. In Ecuador, women entrepreneurs—stripped of support—are being pushed toward our border.

This isn’t just a loss of aid. It’s a loss of American credibility. A loss of moral authority. A loss of global influence.

And it will cost us dearly.

Why should the American people care? Because when we fail to lead with compassion and common sense, the world becomes less stable, our troops face more danger, and we pay the price—again and again.

When we cut aid, we increase the risk of war. When we defund development, we undercut diplomacy. And when we turn our back on the world, we endanger our own.

I speak as the proud mother of a U.S. Marine veteran. I know what happens when diplomacy fails. When we fail to prevent conflict with education, aid, and engagement, the burden falls on the Pentagon—and on families whose loved ones serve our military.

Let’s remember: The entire international affairs budget has typically been less than one percent of federal spending. But it delivers exponential returns for our safety, prosperity, and moral standing.

These programs give youth an alternative to violence. They build markets for American goods. They prevent wars. They reduce migration pressures. They keep our troops home.

This bill—sadly—is a missed opportunity. A failure to lead. A failure to invest in the power of peace, progress, and partnership.

But let me end with this: Democrats are not giving up. We stand ready to work with our Republican colleagues—to fight for a bill that reflects our values, honors our commitments, and protects American lives.

A sustained path to a safer, stronger, and more prosperous nation cannot be built on isolation and threats.

Because we cannot bomb our way to peace. We cannot drone our way to stability. And we cannot retreat our way to safety.

A strong America leads—not with fear, but with courage. 

Not by pulling back, but by reaching out.

And that’s the bill we should all fight for.

Thank you. I yield back.