Garamendi Statement on Trump's Budget Claw Backs to Slash USAID and Emergency Broadcast Systems

WASHINGTON DC - Today, Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-8) released the following statement on President Trump’s budget claw backs, which eliminates $8.3 billion in funding for U.S. foreign assistance and $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting:

“Gutting U.S. foreign assistance and public broadcasting funding will make America less safe.  

“These budget claw backs don’t just reduce funding, they unravel decades of investment in our communities, both here in America and around the globe. Whether it’s global partnerships building long-lasting relationships or decades of investments in our emergency broadcast systems that millions depend on, these cuts will make us weaker.  

“Foreign assistance is not just a moral responsibility – it’s a strategic investment. We’re stopping wars and diseases overseas before they reach our borders. The next pandemic could be only a plane flight away. It also undermines our credibility as a reliable partner, and it’s a gift to our adversaries eager to fill the gaps we leave behind. As a former a Peace Corp volunteer, I’m devastated that Trump is taking a chainsaw to our most effective toolkit for preventing and mitigating global crises.

“Cutting over a billion dollars from public broadcasting will gut local news and it will cripple emergency broadcasting systems which rural communities rely upon. Let me be clear: Trump’s reckless cuts will disproportionately hurt rural Americans.

“Congress, not the president, has the power of the purse. Trump is unlawfully sidestepping Congress and the Constitution in order to eliminate these funds. These budget claw backs will codify these draconian cuts into law defying the will of Congress and the who elected them. It’s highway robbery at its finest, where House Republicans and Trump are stealing our ability to be safe at home and abroad.”

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