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Floor Speech
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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, on Tuesday, President Trump sent Congress proposed rescissions. A rescissions bill is a cut to already enacted and funded programs. Looking closely at those cuts that have been proposed by the administration, I would like to speak to them this morning on the floor.
Where has the President suggested we cut a very miniscule percentage of the Federal budget to fund deficit-busting tax cuts for the ultrawealthy? From bipartisan programs--programs that both parties have supported for years: programs that help the poorest in the world survive, even lead a normal life, suffering from HIV and AIDS; that help countries become healthy democracies and trading partners, literally, for the United States; that support peacekeeping efforts to prevent the spread of war and migration; programs that counter Chinese influence and help stem the flow of illicit drugs; radio and TV stations that provide news for America. That is where the President turned to make the cuts that he wants the money for to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest people in America.
For as long as I have been in Congress, there has always been a strong bipartisan support for foreign assistance programs. You ask the average person in the street, in Illinois or Oklahoma: What percentage of the Federal budget do you believe is spent on foreign aid?
The guesses are usually 10 to 20 percent. It is less than 1 percent.
There was an understanding that modest efforts like those, which cost just over 1 percent of the Federal budget, were the right thing to do by both political parties. You see, by helping stem pandemics and war and helping countries become healthy, free-market democracies, we are actually helping our own country. We are stopping wars and upheavals before they start and spill over borders, alleviating the future need to send our troops into harm's way and strengthening our own national security at home by mitigating instability around the world.
We are creating allies in the process and trading partners for U.S. farmers and other American businesses that make for good jobs here at home.
We are also demonstrating the best of America when it comes to our values--compassion and ingenuity--something President George W. Bush understood when he created PEPFAR, which has saved millions of lives around the world from HIV and AIDS.
That is why Ronald Reagan and John McCain--no pushovers--understood the incredible power and strategic value of helping countries across the globe become free, democratic, and prosperous.
So why in the world would we cut such low-cost but impactful programs? I don't understand it. If there were international programs that were ineffective--and I admit such work can be difficult and with mistakes--then the place to fix them is through the regular appropriations process, not the wholesale gutting of a complete program like USAID.
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