“Inclusion isn't a fleeting trend, but an indispensable cornerstone of effective diplomacy, and these rules represent a long-overdue step towards a fairer, more effective foreign aid framework," said Chair Cardin
WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken commending the U.S. Department of State for proposing non-discrimination rules to help ensure that all individuals are able to benefit from our U.S. foreign assistance programs, promoting U.S. security, prosperity, and democratic values.
"These regulations boldly affirm our unwavering commitment to ensuring equal access to U.S. foreign assistance, challenging the assertion that instilling fairness somehow represents a 'woke agenda,’" said Chair Cardin. "Despite detractors' erroneous claims, these rules are pivotal in upholding global security, prosperity, and democratic principles. Inclusion isn't a fleeting trend, but an indispensable cornerstone of effective diplomacy, and these rules represent a long-overdue step towards a fairer, more effective foreign aid framework."
Full text of the letter is provided below.
Dear Secretary Blinken:
I write to you to commend the U.S. Department of State for the proposed rules, “Department of State Acquisition Regulation: Nondiscrimination in Foreign Assistance” and “Nondiscrimination in Foreign Assistance,” published January 19, 2024 (Public Notices: 12058 and 12059). I firmly believe that these non-discrimination rules will bring us one step closer to ensuring that all individuals are able to benefit from our U.S. foreign assistance programs, promoting U.S. security, prosperity, and democratic values.
Congress, through the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and other related statutes, established that U.S. national interests are “best sustained and enhanced in a community of nations which respect individual civil and economic rights and freedoms and which work together to use wisely the world’s limited resources in an open and equitable international economic system.” This premise has guided the formation of landmark human rights, global health, and economic development programs at the Department of State, USAID, and other foreign assistance agencies across successive administrations.
Yet, the United States is also confronted by a historic moment in which global freedom has declined for the eighteenth consecutive year and authoritarian regimes threaten to halt or reverse the decades-long progress that U.S. foreign assistance programs have achieved. Countries around the globe have introduced legislation to constrain civic space or criminalize segments of the population, including human rights defenders, in direct contradiction of U.S. foreign policy goals. Accompanied by a rejection of pluralism, this trend can further spur violence, stigma, and discrimination within society, particularly against those who are most vulnerable or marginalized. The United States must not remain silent in response to these threats and Icommend the Department of State for rising to the moment with these proposed rules. It is only by ensuring that our foreign assistance programs affirm U.S. commitments to inclusive, pluralistic, and democratic societies and can reach all beneficiaries as intended that I can meet the challenges ahead.
The Department of State’s proposed non-discrimination rules would also add to the success of similar regulations at other foreign assistance agencies, namely USAID. Since 2016, USAID has had non-discrimination provisions for contracts, enabling their programs to be more effective and efficient for beneficiaries. The Department of State’s proposed rules build upon this history, and reflect similar protections elsewhere in federal law,
I applaud the Department of State for working to harmonize its practices with the intent of Congress for U.S. foreign assistance. I urge you to swiftly finalize these rules and implement them in an equitable manner across all of the U.S. Department of State’s grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements.
Sincerely,
Benjamin L. Cardin
###