Secretary Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Testimony Before The Senate Appropriations Committee

Statement

Mr. Chairman, Senator Cochran, and members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity. On behalf of President Obama and the entire Administration, thank you for your support of the men and women of the State Department and USAID, who serve in critical and often dangerous missions in all corners of the world.

I am honored to be here with Secretary Gates. I appreciate the partnership we have developed in the first one hundred days of this Administration—and today, on Day 101, I look forward to further collaboration in the months ahead.

Before turning to the topic of today's hearing, let me give an update on how the State Department is supporting the federal government's response to the H1N1 flu virus. We have established a monitoring group within our Operations Center, which is tracking how other governments are responding to the threat and what assistance we might offer. We are constantly reviewing and refining our advice to Americans traveling or living abroad. And our pandemic influenza unit is providing valuable expertise. Its director, Ambassador Robert Loftis, is keeping me apprised of their work. Earlier this week, USAID announced that it is giving $5 million to the World Health Organization and the Pan America Health Organization to help detect and contain the disease in Mexico. We will continue to coordinate with the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security, the WHO, and other agencies. The resources and expertise of the State Department are being fully mobilized for this vital effort.

Secretary Gates and I are here together because our departments' missions are aligned and our plans are integrated. The foreign policy of the United States is built on the three Ds: defense, diplomacy and development. The men and women in the armed forces perform their duties with courage and skill, often putting their lives on the line to keep our nation safe. And in many regions, they serve alongside civilians from the State Department and USAID who work with the military in two crucial ways. First, they complement and build upon our military's efforts in conflict areas like Iraq and Afghanistan. And second, they use diplomatic and development tools to build stable and peaceful societies—work that is far less costly in lives and dollars than military action down the road.

As you know, the United States is facing serious challenges around the world: two wars, political uncertainty in the Middle East, irresponsible nations with nuclear ambitions, an economic crisis that is pushing more people into poverty, and 21st century threats such as terrorism, climate change, and trafficking in drugs and human beings—all of which require new forms of outreach and cooperation.

To achieve this, we have launched a new diplomacy powered by partnership,
pragmatism and principle. We are strengthening historic alliances and reaching out to create new ones. And we are bringing governments, the private sector and civil society together to find global solutions to global problems.

The2009 supplemental budget request for the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development is a significant sum—yet our investment in diplomacy and development is only about 6 percent of our total national security budget.

For Secretary Gates and me, it is critically important that we give our civilian workers, as well as our military, the resources they need to do their jobs well.

In Iraq, as we prepare to withdraw our troops, our mission is changing—but it is no less urgent. We must reinforce security gains while supporting the Iraqi government and people as they strengthen public institutions, promote economic growth and job creation, and assist Iraqis who fled their communities because of violence and want to return home.

Last weekend, I visited Iraq. Despite recent acts of violence in Baghdad and
elsewhere, there are clear signs of progress. But there is much work that remains. I met with Iraqis who are working with our Provincial Reconstruction Teams and our Embassy, and I was struck by their courage and determination to reconstruct their country—not just physically, but also by re-weaving the fabric of their society.

We have requested $482 million in the supplemental budget for our civilian
efforts to help Iraq move toward a future of stability, sovereignty and self-reliance, and another $108 million to assist Iraqi refugees.

In Afghanistan, additional troops are being deployed to disrupt, dismantle and destroy al Qaeda. But bringing stability to that region is not only a military mission, and it requires more than a military response. We have requested $980 million in assistance to help the Afghans move toward sustained economic and political progress. As President Obama has consistently maintained, success in Afghanistan depends on success in Pakistan. We have seen how difficult it is for the government there to make progress, and the Taliban continues to make inroads.

Counterinsurgency training is critical. But of equal importance are diplomacy and development to provide economic stability and diminish the conditions that feed extremism. This is the intent of the comprehensive strategy laid out by Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar, which President Obama has endorsed and which the Senate will be considering in the coming days. With this supplemental request, we are seeking funding of $497 million in assistance for our work in Pakistan, which will support the 3 government's efforts to stabilize the economy, strengthen law enforcement, alleviate poverty, and help displaced citizens find safe shelter. It will also allow us to begin to keep the pledge we made to Pakistan at the Tokyo Donors Conference earlier this month.

In addition to our work in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, we are committed to help achieve a comprehensive peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors and to address the humanitarian needs in Gaza and the West Bank. At Sharm el-Sheikh last month, I announced a pledge of $900 million for humanitarian, economic, and security assistance for the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people. Our supplemental request of $840 million is included in that pledge; it is not in addition to it. And it will be
implemented with stringent requirements to prevent aid from being diverted to the wrong hands.

Meanwhile, the current economic crisis has put millions of people in danger of
falling further into poverty. We have seen how poverty can spark humanitarian crises and destabilize countries. So we have requested $448 million to assist developing countries hardest hit by the global financial crisis. This is not merely a moral imperative.

It is an investment in our own security and prosperity.

These efforts will be complemented by investments in the supplemental budget for emergency food aid, to counter the destructive effects of global food crises; people who are undernourished are less able to hold jobs and earn incomes; succeed in school; or participate fully in their societies. I'm pleased that the State Department and USAID will be leading a government-wide effort to address this issue. We are committed not only to providing short-term food relief, but also to helping nations build their own capacity to meet their long-term needs. We also must lead by example when it comes to shared responsibility. We have included in this request $837 million for United Nations peacekeeping operations, which includes funds to cover assessments previously withheld.

We are asking for small investments targeted to specific concerns: international peace keeping operations and stabilization in Africa; humanitarian needs in Burma; the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program, assuming that they come back to the Six-Party Talks; assistance for Georgia that the prior administration promised and that we believe we should fulfill; support for the Lebanese Government, which is facing serious challenges; funding for critical air mobility support in Mexico as part of the Merida Initiative. Finally, if the State Department is to pursue an ambitious foreign policy agenda that safeguards our security and advances our interests, we must begin with our own agency. We are committed to creating a more agile, effective State Department and USAID, staffing these departments well, and giving our people the resources they need to do their jobs. Our supplemental request includes $747 million to support State and USAID mission operations around the world. 4 Secretary Gates and I are also looking at how our departments can collaborate even more effectively. That includes identifying pieces of our shared mission that are \now housed at Defense and should move to State.

With the budget support that we've outlined in this supplemental request, we can do the work that this moment demands of us in regions whose future stability will impact our own. I'm confident that I speak for both Secretary Gates and myself in saying that we are committed to working closely together in the months ahead to promote stability and long-term progress in key regions around the world.
Thank you.

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