The Department of State and USAID are indispensable tools fbr resolving the most ditlicult national security issues and protecting our freedoms. Every day, our teams work to denuclearize North Korea, win the great-power competition against China and Russia, support the people of Venezuela against tyranny, prevent infectious disease outbreaks from reaching our borders, and assist countries in becoming self-reliant economic and security partners.
To achieve the Administration's foreign policy goals, both agencies need appropriate resources for our diplomatic and foreign assistance progrrms. The fiscal year 2020 budget requests $40 billion to protect U.S. citizens, increase American prosperity by utilizing foreign assistance to grow opportunities for U.S. businesses, and support our allies and partners. At the core ol our request is the guiding principle that taxpayer dollars must be used wisely. We maintain a commitment to produce successful outcomes, make programs more effective, transition countries from U.S. foreign assistance once they achieve advanced levels of self-reliance, and optimize U.S. humanitarian assistance outcomes through a newly consolidated appropriations account and program implementation structure. Included in this request are lunds to protect our diplomats and our borders, recruit and develop our workforce, and continue to modemize our IT infrastructure. The budget also reflects a major structural reorganization proposal of USAID to make the agency more functionally aligned and field focused and therefore better structured to address challenging foreign policy objectives around the world.
In addition to core programs and workforce commitments, we are also funding key programs that will strengthen democracies and partnerships in the long run. In the Indo-Pacific, U.S. diplomacy and assistance is improving the economic capacity, security capabilities, and govemance structures of countries throughout the region, while bringing economic benefits to Americans as well. In Northem Iraq and other regions, the Department of State and USAID are helping ethnic and religious minorities rebuild lives and create a brighter future. These key initiatives, and others like them, are a powerful display ofthe United States' enduring mission as a force for good around the world.
We must continue to put U.S. interests first and be a beacon of freedom to the world. With the support ofCongress, and through the strategic, efficient use of resources, this budget will do just that.
