The White House is against the measures, which entail a $7.6 billion funding cut.
The House recently approved bills on June 28 to fund the Department of Defense, State Department, and Department of Homeland Security, despite facing opposition from the White House.
The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, passed by a vote of 212â200, amounts to $51.71 billion, a reduction of $7.6 billion compared to the allocation for the 2024 fiscal year. This figure is also 19 percent lower than the $12.26 billion requested by President Joe Biden for the 2025 fiscal year starting on Oct. 1.
Specifically, the bill designates $14.6 billion for the Department of State and related agencies and commissions, along with $1.56 billion for the U.S. Agency for International Development. This allocation is $476 million less than the previous year and $661 million less than what the administration had requested.
The legislation also includes $3.3 billion in military financing for Israel and prohibits funding for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Moreover, the bill has provisions to combat China’s communist regime, such as allocating $2.1 billion to Indo-Pacific initiatives, including $500 million in military financing for Taiwan. It also prohibits funding for China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Additionally, the bill eliminates funding for various United Nations entities and terminates financial support for organizations like the World Economic Forum and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The bill also abolishes several State Department special envoy and special representative roles, such as the special envoy to advance the human rights of LGBT people, special representative for Palestinian affairs, special envoy for racial equity and justice, and others.
The White House has expressed opposition to these bills, criticizing them for potential deep cuts in various sectors. Please rephrase.
Source link
