{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4717", "Case Opposes Foreign Affairs Funding Measure That Weakens National Security By Slashing Critical Foreign Assistance Efforts", "2025-07-24", "2025", "2025-07", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Ed Case", "C001055", "case.house.gov", "case", "https://case.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27&Page=4", "scraper", "(Washington, DC) \u2013 U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, voted in Committee against the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Security, Department of State and Related Programs Appropriations bill that would slash our nation\u2019s foreign affairs programs and agencies by 22%\n\nThis measure funds (or should fund) U.S. foreign policy efforts, including the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. contributions to the United Nations and its agencies and more.\n\nThe bill historically provides for international diplomatic presence and outreach as well as foreign assistance in public health, basic education, educational and cultural exchanges, climate change and more. The bill\u2019s proposed FY 2026 discretionary funding level is $46.2 billion. This is a decrease of $13 billion (22 percent) from the FY 2025 enacted level.\n\n\u201cWhile this measure did fund many critical Hawai\u2018i and Indo-Pacific priorities I requested, I had to vote against it because on balance it weakens our global leadership when the world most needs our continued full engagement,\u201d said Case.\n\nCase spoke in Committee in opposition to the measure, saying it would \u201csplit our alliances, partnerships and friendships and cast our country as an unreliable partner\u201d, allowing the People\u2019s Republic of China to fill voids left by U.S. disengagement. His remarks are here.\n\nThe bill continues the Trump administration\u2019s gutting of U.S. foreign assistance across a broad array of efforts, including:\n\n\u00b7 Codifying the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development.\n\n\u00b7 Cutting international humanitarian aid by 42% in activities previously funded under International Disaster Assistance and Migration and Refugee Affairs.\n\n\u00b7 Cutting U.S. bilateral economic assistance by 21% in activities previously funded under Development Assistance, Economic Support Fund and other accounts.\n\n\u00b7 Creating a $1.7 billion transactional slush fund for the Trump administration called the \u201cAmerica First Opportunity Fund\u201d with no effective congressional oversight.\n\nHowever, Case did welcome support in the bill for various of his requests related to Hawai\u2018i and the Indo-Pacific, especially $16.7 million for the East-West Center in Honolulu.\n\n\u201cAs we continue to focus on the growing influence of the PRC in the Indo-Pacific, our national security interests must also include diplomatic engagement and assistance to promote peace and diplomacy in the region,\u201d said Case. \u201cContinued funding for our East-West Center and other world-leading institutions in Hawai\u2018i supports our country\u2019s standing in an area widely seen as the most dynamic and critical on earth.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor all seven of my years on Appropriations, I have ranked full funding for the Center at the top of my annual requests to my committee because I believe not only in the Center\u2019s invaluable work but in what it represents for Hawaii\u2019s central role in the Asia-Pacific and in the broader benefits that bring high-quality \u2026 jobs to our overall economy,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cThough we still have a long way to go this appropriations year, I\u2019m grateful that my House colleagues have again favorably considered my request, especially when the President\u2019s budget proposed zero funding for the Center.\u201d\n\nOther bill provisions requested by Case include:\n\n\u00b7 $1.8 billion for the implementation of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, which promotes peace, prosperity and democracy in the region.\n\n\u00b7 $175 million for the Pacific Islands region, the same as FY 2025 enacted levels.\n\n\u00b7 $3 million for the Advancing Port Enhancement and Customs Security program in the Pacific Islands.\n\n\u00b7 Funding for Pacific Islands exchange programs, with a focus on partnering with universities in Pacific locations.\n\n\u00b7 Funding for small grants programs to assist local communities across the Pacific Islands.\n\n\u00b7 Funding for a Flexible Microfinance Facility for the Pacific Islands, launched by the Development Finance Corporation with the Department of State.\n\n\u00b7 Report language supporting funding for free and open media in the Pacific.\n\n\u00b7 Funding for trade capacity-building activities in the Pacific Islands.\n\n\u00b7 Report language supporting the Peace Corps\u2019 expansion in the Pacific.\n\n\u00b7 Funding for a demand-driven initiative to diversify trade opportunities in the Pacific Islands.\n\n\u00b7 Language requiring a report on ways to strengthen U.S. trade and investment with the Pacific Islands.\n\n\u00b7 Funding for unexploded ordinance removal in the Pacific Islands, including Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.\n\n\u00b7 Language requiring a strategy for faith-based engagement for assistance in the Pacific Islands.\n\nThe bill further includes funding for several foreign policy programs supported by Case, although some at unacceptably low levels. Among them are:\n\n\u00b7 $411 million for the Peace Corps, a decrease of $20 million from FY 2025.\n\n\u00b7 $411 million for peacekeeping operations, the same as FY 2025.\n\n\u00b7 $562.3 million to support international peacekeeping activities, a decrease of $838 million.\n\n\u00b7 $701 million for educational and cultural exchange programs, which include the Fulbright programs, a decrease of more than $40 million.\n\n\u00b7 $310 million for contributions to international organizations, a decrease of $1.2 billion.\n\n\u00b7 $1.5 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a decrease of $200 million.\n\n\u00b7 $915 million for maternal and child health programs.\n\nA summary of the bill is available here.\n\nThis is the ninth of twelve separate bills developed and approved by the Appropriations Committee that would fund the federal government at some $1.6 trillion for FY 2026 commencing October 1st of this year. The bill now moves on to the full House of Representatives for its consideration.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T14:40:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4717"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9274468757212162, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}