MICHAEL R. POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATEDIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDINGWASHINGTON, DC<\/p>\n
SECRETARY POMPEO:Thank you very much. Today Im here to present the and testify about the Presidents 2021 Budget. It requests nearly $41 billion for the State Department and USAID, enabling both agencies to protect U.S. citizens, increase American prosperity, and advance the development of democratic societies. And critically, it reflects a commitment to the strategic, efficient use of resources to provide better results for the American people.<\/p>\n
Thats the topline analysis. But I want to make a broader point that our diplomatic expenditures reflect Americas values:<\/p>\n
Two weeks ago in Philadelphia I unveiled the report of the State Departments Commission on Unalienable Rights.<\/p>\n
My message that day was simple: The Trump administration places our founding principles at the very core of American diplomacy.<\/p>\n
Im going to talk about how weve done it in three areas:<\/p>\n
First, securing the American peoples freedoms against authoritarian threats; securing American lives during the pandemic; and helping friends across the world secure those very unalienable rights.<\/p>\n
On authoritarian threats, we have evaluated the world with the same realism that the American founders did.<\/p>\n
We see the Islamic Republic of Iran for what it is: an aggressor, not a victim.<\/p>\n
Weve gone full bore on our maximum pressure campaign.<\/p>\n
Since May of 2018, weve slashed the vital oil revenues the regime uses for terrorism and illegal nuclear activities by 90 percent.<\/p>\n
Weve rallied nations to our side through diplomacy witness the designations of Hizballah from European and South American countries.<\/p>\n
And weve bolstered our military readiness vis-a-vis Tehran.<\/p>\n
Theres more work to do. The Security Council must renew the UN arms embargo against Iran before it expires on October 18th.<\/p>\n
Iran already mines ships in the Strait of Hormuz, launches missiles at Saudi oil facilities, and ships arms to the Houthis.<\/p>\n
Should the Security Council fail to act, Iran will have a freer hand to sow destruction across the Middle East, and indeed the world.<\/p>\n
Russia, too, is a destabilizing authoritarian force in Ukraine, in Libya, in Syria, and inside of Western democracies.<\/p>\n
This administration has acted to protect our interests and our friends:<\/p>\n
Weve issued the Crimea Declaration.<\/p>\n
Weve supplied Ukraine with lethal military hardware.<\/p>\n
Weve sanctioned more than 360 Russian targets for everything from human rights abuses, to supporting the murderous Assad regime, to operating mercenaries and proxy forces around the world.<\/p>\n
And the State Departments FY 2021 request for the Global Engagement Center is $138 million more than double its current level. We wont tolerate disinformation and other propaganda directed by the Kremlin or any of our other adversaries.<\/p>\n
Further on Russia: Two weeks ago, the State Department removed Nord Stream 2s exemption under CAATSA.<\/p>\n
And in December, the administrations swift implementation of PEESA an important bipartisan endeavor effectively halted construction of the pipeline.<\/p>\n
We are the toughest administration ever on Russia.<\/p>\n
Most importantly, on China, we see the Chinese Communist Party also for what it is: the central threat of our times.<\/p>\n
Our vigorous diplomacy has helped lead an international awakening to the threat of the CCP. Senators, the tide is turning:<\/p>\n
Thirty-plus countries and territories have become 5G Clean Countries, banning untrusted vendors from their networks. When we talked about this some year ago, that number was in the single digits.<\/p>\n
In our hemisphere, Canada has stood firm against the Chinese Communist Partys hostage-taking. Its three major telecom carriers have also banned untrusted vendors.<\/p>\n
Belize and Haiti have denounced Beijings national security law targeting Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
Denmark has rejected the CCPs attempted censorship of Danish newspapers.<\/p>\n
Sweden has closed its Confucius Institutes.<\/p>\n
Lithuanian intelligence services have identified China as a political a potential threat for the first time.<\/p>\n
And in the region, in the Indo-Pacific, Australia declared Chinas South China Sea claims unlawful and illegitimate, as have we.<\/p>\n
And were proud to have stepped up maritime maneuvers in that body of water alongside our friends from Australia and Japan and the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
India has banned 106 Chinese applications that threatened its citizens privacy and security.<\/p>\n
Our diplomatic efforts are working, and momentum is building to mitigate the threats that the Chinese Communist Party presents.<\/p>\n
All 10 ASEAN nations have insisted that the South China Sea disputes must be settled on the basis of international law, including UNCLOS.<\/p>\n
Japan led the G7s condemnation of Chinas national security law targeting Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
The EU condemned the law too, and also declared China a systemic rival just last year.<\/p>\n
And weve agreed to start a dialogue channel focused solely on China at the EUs request.<\/p>\n
At NATO, Secretary General Stoltenberg has called to make China a greater part of that alliances focus as well.<\/p>\n
And we led a multilateral effort to ensure that the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization elected a director from a country that actually gave a darn about intellectual property rights.<\/p>\n
And our Quad the United States, Australia, India, and Japan has been reinvigorated.<\/p>\n
We have worked hard at this. Our diplomats have done wonderful work. Im very proud of the progress we are making.<\/p>\n
In addition to these multilateral efforts, the Department of Justice is cracking down on Chinese IP threats.<\/p>\n
Weve sanctioned Chinese leaders for their brutality in Xinjiang, imposed export controls on companies that support it, and warned U.S. businesses against using slave labor in their supply chains.<\/p>\n
Weve terminated special treatment agreements with Hong Kong in response to the CCPs actions to deny freedom to the people of Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
And we closed our consulate in Houston because it was a den of spies.<\/p>\n
Our budget reflects these efforts, the reality on the ground. We requested nearly one and a half billion dollars for foreign assistance to the Indo-Pacific region, a 20 percent increase from the 2020 request. We want that part of the world to be free and open and prosperous.<\/p>\n
And with that, Mr. Chairman, Ill close, and happy to take questions.<\/p>\n
By U.S. Embassy Tbilisi | 30 July, 2020 | Topics: Key Officials, News from Washington | Tags: Democracy, Human Rights, Secretary Pompeo<\/p>\n
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Secretary Michael R. Pompeo Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Fiscal Year 2021 State Department Budget Request - US Embassy in...<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MICHAEL R. POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATEDIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDINGWASHINGTON, DC SECRETARY POMPEO:Thank you very much. Today Im here to present the and testify about the Presidents 2021 Budget Continue reading