In the words of Secretary Clinton:
"I want to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of the men and women who work every day for the State Department, for USAID here at home and around the world, putting our foreign policy into action, advancing America’s interests and values.
"And that’s what this budget we’re presenting today intends to do. Our fiscal year 2011 request for the State Department and USAID totals $52.8 billion. That’s a $4.9 billion increase over 2010. Of that increase, $3.6 billion will go to supporting efforts in the front-line states – Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Other funding will grow by $1.3 billion, which is a 2.7 percent increase that will help us address global challenges, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that the State Department and USAID are equipped with the right people and resources."
In the words of Mark Galbraith: Does the honorable secretary not know spending more money (bleeding money) into foreign nations in these very real times of depression will further sap the already flagging U.S. economy and undermine the very nation who's interests this budget seeks to 'advance'? At very least have the decency to freeze your budget for the next few years, but here's a novel idea: maybe diplomacy doesn't need a bank roll. Franklin and Jefferson did just fine without treasure chest...but maybe that's because foreign policy was non-interventionist at that point in time and successfully so for over one hundred twenty years after!
