If there is one issue that every one of the last
seven secretaries of state agrees on, it's the need to increase State Department
and foreign assistance funding next year.
That's the message Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher,
Lawrence Eagleburger, James Baker, George Shultz, and Henry Kissinger sent to Congress in a letter (pdf)
Tuesday urging Congress to support President Obama's request for $58.5 billion
worth of funding for State Department and foreign operations in fiscal 2011.
Their argument is the same as that made by Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton,
Defense Secretary Robert Gates,
and the entire
development community: that the administration's requested
increases for foreign operations is needed to protect America's influence in
the world and achieve U.S. national-security objectives.
"Increasing the investment in our civilian
international capabilities will keep America safer by, among other things,
addressing the root causes of terrorism and extremism, supporting key allies,
and demonstrating America's proud tradition of global leadership," the former
dignitaries wrote. "This is one area where Democrats and Republicans can agree
and should come together to help ensure a more secure and prosperous future for
our nation."
The timing of the letter is no coincidence. John Kerry's Senate Foreign Relations Committee
is
marking up its first authorization bill since 2005 Tuesday,
part of its effort to defend the president's request, which is actually only a
modest boost over last year for most accounts because the bulk of the increases
will go to supporting an increased civilian role in Afghanistan, Iraq, and
Pakistan.
Defenders of the president's budget are fighting an
uphill battle against a Congress looking to push funds to domestic priorities
and under pressure to slash spending ahead of the coming midterm elections.
Their effort was hurt last week when Sen. Kent
Conrad's Budget Committee approved
a resolution slashing $4 billion from Obama's
request, the first of what is sure to be many twists and turns as the budget
process moves forward.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman issued a strong statement defending the president's
budget Monday.
"This budget outline would
slash critical funding to our Foreign Service Officers and development
professionals precisely at the time when the President is seeking to stand up
our civilian capacity in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq," he said. "The notion
that this budget would have no impact on our national security funding is
simply misleading."
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