Washington - Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX) praised House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers for his leadership in making the largest reduction in discretionary spending in U.S. history to complete the FY 2011 appropriations cycle, which Democrats failed to finish in the 111thCongress.
“Chairman Rogers had a very difficult task, but finishing the Democrats’ work is an opportunity for House Republicans to demonstrate that we are serious about ending the out-of-control spending of the last several years,” Granger said. “This is a new era and I applaud the Chairman for his work in making historic cuts and setting the tone as we move into the FY 2012 appropriations cycle when the cuts will go even deeper.”
“The reductions made to my section of the bill are a good start. As long as I am Chairwoman of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I will ensure that our foreign aid is not used as a stimulus bill for foreign countries. This bill is about our national security and the funding levels reflect that.”
As Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, Granger contributed to the overall budget reduction by making her suggestions on cuts to Chairman Rogers. Granger’s section of the bill received the third largest percentage of cuts out of the 12 Appropriations subcommittees.
The total budget allocation for the State and Foreign Operations title in the continuing resolution is $44.9 billion, which is a reduction of $3.8 billion, or 8 percent from total 2010 appropriations and a reduction of $11.7 billion, or 21 percent, from the President’s 2011 budget request.
The bill protects key national security priorities by fully funding the $3 billion U.S. commitment to Israel and sustaining current diplomatic and development actions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Targeted cuts to the bill were partially made by rescinding funds from appropriations that remain unspent, freezing federal employee pay raises at the State Department, not funding programs that require authorizations, scaling back contributions to the United Nations and other international organizations, and eliminating wasteful, duplicative and ineffective programs.
The bill provides $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt and up to $250 million in economic assistance to Egypt with the understanding that the government will undertake significant economic and democratic reforms. In addition, the bill prohibits military assistance to Lebanon unless the Secretary of State determines it is in the national interest of the United States.
“The spending priorities in the bill reflect the fluid and tenuous situation in the Middle East,” Granger said. “Volatility in the region highlights the importance of reaffirming our strategic partnerships and commitments. The events in the Middle East have a direct impact on the safety and security of the United States and our allies.”
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