Minority News Releases
Currently showing results related to State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Decision Not To Submit A Second Rescission Package
"This is a welcome decision. In the Senate, we are moving forward on appropriations bills that have bipartisan support, that are at spending levels agreed to in the bipartisan budget deal, and that reject poison pill riders and controversial authorizing language. This is a process that requires trust, a trust that would have been damaged by such a proposal. Rescinding funds that had been agreed to by Congress and signed into law by the President, in the waning days of the fiscal year, would h… Continue Reading
06.21.18
SUMMARY -- FY 2019 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. (Thursday, June 21, 2018) - The bill provides $54.418 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $8 billion in OCO. The allocation is $12.2 billion above the President's request as scored by CBO, and $400 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, said: "This bill is an example of the Congress rejecting the divisive, reck… Continue Reading
06.21.18
Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On The FY 19 Homeland Security, SFOPS, and FSGG Appropriations Bill
The Committee has three bills before us today - the State, Foreign Operations bill, Department of Homeland Security bill, and the Financial Services and General Government bill. I thank all of the Chairs and Ranking Members for their hard work. As the Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I will reserve my remarks on the bill until we turn to it. I will note that I worked closely with Senator Graham, as we always do, in drafting the bill, and I believe we produced a tr… Continue Reading
06.19.18
SUMMARY -- FY2019 State & Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill Approved by Senate Subcommittee
Washington, D.C. (Tuesday, June 19, 2018) - The bill provides $54.418 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $8 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations. The allocation is $12.2 billion above the President's request and $400 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, said: "This bill is an example of the Congress rejecting the divi… Continue Reading
05.22.18
Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats Call On President Trump To Not Claw Back Vital Funds To Combat Ebola And Other Infectious Diseases
WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, May 22, 2018) -- In a letter led by Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), committee Democrats are urging President Trump to not claw back vital funding intended to combat the Ebola virus and other deadly infectious diseases around the world. Millions of Americans are traveling, studying, and working overseas. And outbreaks of dangerous diseases are only one airplane flight away from reaching the United States and other nations. In ear… Continue Reading
09.07.17
SUMMARY: FY2018 SFOPS Appropriations Bill Clears Committee
WASHINGTON (Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2017) - The bill provides $51.195 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $20.785 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations. The allocation is $10.7 billion above the President's request as scored by CBO, but it is $1.9 billion below the fiscal year 2017 enacted level when factoring in fiscal year 2017 funding for famine relief but not the Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017. U.S. Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of th… Continue Reading
09.06.17
SUMMARY: FY2018 State & Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill Clears Senate Subcommittee
WASHINGTON (Wednesday, September 6, 2017) - The bill provides $51.195 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $20.785 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations. The allocation is $10.7 billion above the President's request as scored by CBO, but it is $1.9 billion below the fiscal year 2017 enacted level when factoring in fiscal year 2017 funding for famine relief but not the Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017. U.S. Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vt.), Ranking Member o… Continue Reading
05.24.17
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On President Trump’s Plan To End Funding For International Family Planning
Mr. President, there are far too many illogical, arbitrary, and harmful cuts in spending, and wholly unbalanced priorities, in the President's proposed fiscal year 2018 budget to list at one time. I will have plenty more to say about that in the weeks and months ahead. But I do want to take a moment to highlight one, as it illustrates the foolhardy way this Administration has sought to appease right-wing ideologues rather than do what is truly in the national interest. For fiscal year 2017, t… Continue Reading
04.04.17
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, On President Trump’s Decision To End U.S. Funding For UNFPA
[Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Department of State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, Tuesday issued the following comment on President Trump's determination under "Kemp-Kasten" to end U.S. contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).] "President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. funding for UNFPA not only will backfire; it is based on a false narrative. The law that President Trump invoked was written t… Continue Reading
03.29.17
Sen. Leahy's Opening Statement at State Dept. and Foreign Operations Subcommittee Hearing On Civil Society Perspectives On Russia
Mr. Chairman, I want to make one observation before we begin, which is that for the past month or two our staffs have been working daily with their House counterparts to finalize our Fiscal Year 2017 bill. They are on track to resolving all but the most contentious issues this week. Then late last Friday we learned that the White House may be proposing a $2.8 billion cut to our 2017 allocation, as part of an $18 billion transfer of funding for non-defense operations and programs to the Pentago… Continue Reading
06.29.16
FY17 State & Foreign Operations Full Committee Markup Bill Summary
Washington, D.C.–The fiscal year 2017 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations bill provides a total of $52.08 billion in non-emergency discretionary budget authority.
U.S. Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, said:
Continue Reading06.29.16
Mikulski Statement at Final Appropriations Full Committee Markup of Career
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, participated in the Full Committee markup of the 12th of 12 bills for fiscal year 2017, as well as the final Appropriations markup of Mikulski’s career. The Full Committee met to consider the fiscal year 2017 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill.
The following are Vice Chairwoman Mikulski’s remarks, as prepared for delivery:
Continue Reading06.28.16
FY17 State & Foreign Operations Subcommittee Markup Bill Summary
Washington, D.C.–The fiscal year 2017 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations bill provides a total of $52.08 billion in non-emergency discretionary budget authority.
U.S. Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, said:
Continue Reading06.28.16
Vice Chairwoman Mikulski Statement on Republican VA-Military Construction and Zika Conference Report Cloture Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, submitted the following statement for the record before the vote to end debate on the Republican conference report for the fiscal year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill and Zika virus supplemental funding.
The following is Vice Chairwoman Mikulski’s statement for the record:
Continue Reading06.22.16
Vice Chairwoman Mikulski Statement on Republican Conference Agreement
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Republican conference agreement for the fiscal year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill and Zika virus supplemental funding:
Continue Reading06.15.16
Mikulski Statement at Military Construction-Veterans Affairs and Zika Conference Meeting
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, participated in the first meeting of the Senate and House conference on the fiscal year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, H.R. 2577. The bill also includes Zika virus emergency funding.
The following are Vice Chairwoman Mikulski’s remarks, as prepared for delivery:
Continue Reading06.08.16
Mikulski Floor Statement on Reed-Mikulski Amendment
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor about the Reed-Mikulski amendment to keep parity between defense and non-defense spending.
The following are Vice Chairwoman Mikulski’s remarks, as prepared for delivery:
Continue Reading07.09.15
Mikulski Remarks at Full Committee Markup of SFOPS Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, participated in the Full Committee markup of the fiscal year 2016 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) bill. The following are Vice Chairwoman Mikulski's remarks, as prepared for delivery: "I appreciate the work done by Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Leahy on the State and Foreign Operations bill. They did a good job with the spartan sequeste… Continue Reading
07.09.15
FY16 SFOPS Full Committee Markup Bill Summary
SUMMARY STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS FISCAL YEAR 2016 APPROPRIATIONS BILL Full Committee Mark: July 9, 2015 Washington, D.C.-The fiscal year 2016 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) bill provides a total of $48.27 billion in non-emergency discretionary budget authority, which is $997 million below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level of $49.27 billion excluding emergency funding for Ebola. In addition the bill provides $759 million for emergency costs… Continue Reading
07.07.15
FY16 SFOPS Subcommittee Markup Bill Summary
SUMMARY DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS FISCAL YEAR 2016 APPROPRIATIONS BILL Subcommittee Mark: July 7, 2015 Washington, D.C.-The fiscal year 2016 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) bill provides a total of $48.27 billion in non-emergency discretionary budget authority, which is $997 million below the fiscal year 2015 enacted level of $49.27 billion excluding emergency funding for Ebola. In addition the bill provides $759 m… Continue Reading