WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the Fiscal Year 2026 State Department budget request:
"As Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, I am deeply troubled by recent reports indicating that Secretary Rubio may sign his name to a Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal that would leave our country alone and exposed and allow China and Russia to fill the vacuum made vacant by this Administration. Why in the world would we cut funding for NATO at a moment when war is raging in Europe and security threats on the continent grow?
"When America First becomes America Alone, our economy, security and prosperity will suffer as adversaries fill the void the Trump Administration leaves behind. Investments in diplomatic programs that promote peace and stability, and advance American national security interests are commonsense priorities that should be reflected in the State Department’s budget request. We need institutions that open new markets for American workers and businesses, not hollowed out departments that create more uncertainty and raise prices through harmful tariff wars. I intend to immediately and directly raise my serious concerns to Secretary Rubio and at future hearings on the State Department’s budget request."
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