US Senator Chris Murphy and several other Democrat lawmakers proposed legislation on Tuesday that would increase the United States' foreign affairs budget by $12 billion in 2022 in order to maintain a strong military and to better compete with China
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2021) US Senator Chris Murphy and several other Democrat lawmakers proposed legislation on Tuesday that would increase the United States' foreign affairs budget by $12 billion in 2022 in order to maintain a strong military and to better compete with China.
"We must maintain the strongest military on the planet, but we have to get smarter about the national security challenges that can only be met with non-military solutions," Murphy said in a press release. "That's why we are proposing a $12 billion increase to the international affairs budget, and unveiling a blueprint for how to spend this increased funding in a way that allows us to respond to the pressing challenges ahead: competing with China on the world stage, shoring up our defenses to stop the next pandemic, and fighting climate change."
The bill is sponsored by Murphy, Senator Chris Van Hollen, Congressman David Cicilline and Congressman Ami Bera.
The current foreign affairs budget is $56.6 billion and lawmakers are proposing to increase funding to $68.7 billion for State Department and USAID programs overseas, the release said.
According to a fact sheet of the legislation, the increase in spending would seek to strengthen economic and commercial diplomacy as a means to counter Chain's trade and investment practices.
The measure also would boost developing countries' preparedness for the next pandemic, increase American visibility of emerging health threats, and invest in multilateral vaccine development and distribution, the release said.
