WASHINGTON -- The President’s FY 2019 budget request proposes $39.3 billion for critical State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) efforts to advance peace and security, expand American prosperity and influence, and address global crises while making efficient use of taxpayer resources. The budget request modernizes State Department and USAID diplomacy and development to advance a more secure and prosperous world by helping to support more stable and resilient societies that will lead their own development and, ultimately, no longer need foreign aid.

The budget request supports the President’s “America First” vision with a commitment to four key national priorities:


Protecting America’s Security at Home and Abroad:

Sustaining Support for Efforts to Defeat ISIS and Other Violent Extremist Organizations: Supporting efforts to defeat ISIS and violent extremist organizations while addressing the conditions that these groups seek to exploit, including poor governance, weak institutions, lack of economic opportunity, corruption, and persistent human rights abuses with $5.7 billion. This includes continued support for security in Afghanistan and Iraq, and sustains protection of our personnel and facilities overseas as well as to combat disinformation as part of the effort to defeat ISIS. Assistance also supports the needs of displaced religious minorities in the Middle East and North Africa.

Upholding Commitments to Our Allies: Supporting the recent 10-year Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Israel, this request provides $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing for Israel. It also recognizes the critical U.S. strategic partnership with and support for Jordan by providing $1.3 billion in economic and security assistance.

Prioritizing Programs that Counter Critical National Security Threats: Leading international efforts with $127 million to prevent North Korea, Iran, and other states and terrorist actors from unlawfully acquiring weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, while strengthening the capacity of partner nations to do so as well.

Protecting our Borders: Supporting our border security and Consular service with $3.8 billion for fee-funded programs and personnel that secure our borders through enhanced visa vetting, preventing fraud, improving visa processes, and enabling the conduct of international business by facilitating legitimate foreign travel to and from the United States.

Reducing Illegal Immigration: Providing $1.1 billion for Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean to break the power of transnational criminal organizations and networks; help shut down illicit pathways for irregular migration and goods; and address insufficient economic opportunity, weak governance, and inadequate security, all of which drive irregular migration.

Protecting U.S. Overseas Personnel and Facilities: Providing $5.4 billion for the protection of our U.S. government personnel and facilities overseas, including security for the U.S. presence in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Administration is also prioritizing funding for a U.S. Embassy facility in Jerusalem which will begin once design and construction plans are finalized.


Renewing America’s Competitive Advantage for Sustained Economic Growth and Job Creation:

Strengthening Democratic Governance and Standing against Corruption: Dedicating $1.4 billion in assistance to fight against corruption and support efforts that promote democratic governance principles, such as rule of law, transparency, and accountability.

Mobilizing the Private Sector and Reforming U.S. Development-Finance: Supporting activities that promote economic growth and engage the private-sector in developing nations to advance U.S. national-security interests; support development outcomes; and support U.S. companies, jobs, and exports. This includes providing $56 million for programming at USAID in support of the proposed consolidated, reformed Development Finance Institution and $15 million in new trade capacity building efforts, which will better harness and incentivize private-sector financing.

Expanding Domestic Resource Mobilization: Providing $75 million via central funding and additional bilateral resources to equip and challenge countries to mobilize and manage their domestic public and private resources more effectively, leverage other available financing sources, and sustainably lead their own development.

Addressing the Root Causes of Poverty and Hunger: Providing $518 million for food security programs that advance agricultural development to improve economic growth, reduce malnutrition, and strengthen resilience to recurrent crises, leveraging private investment, donor, and host-country contributions.


Promoting American Leadership through Balanced Engagement:

International Organizations: Funding $2.3 billion for preserving strategic participation in multilateral fora to achieve outcomes favorable to the U.S. and its allies while reinforcing the expectation that we will continue to work with the international organizations including the UN to reduce costs, improve effectiveness, and more fairly share the funding burden. Leading in Global Health Programs: Providing $6.7 billion to support U.S. leadership in advancing global health, including through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); the Global Fund to Combat AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; the President’s Malaria Initiative; and global health security activities while simultaneously supporting efforts to help partner nations build their own capacity. With the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy now in place, the Budget includes investments in family planning and reproductive health, and supports women’s empowerment.

Addressing Major Humanitarian Crises: Maintaining U.S. leadership in shaping global humanitarian assistance by providing $6.4 billion, a 21 percent increase from the FY 2018 Budget request, to address complex crises, such as those occurring in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, South Sudan, and elsewhere, while also asking the rest of the world to increase their share and demanding improved performance by implementers to maximize the benefit for recipients of assistance.

Pursuing a More Balanced U.S. Share of International Spending: Setting the expectation that other donors will do their fair share to advance shared priorities, support economic growth and development worldwide, and address humanitarian crises, and holding international organizations accountable.

Informing Foreign Opinion and Engaging Foreign Audiences: Furthering U.S. foreign policy goals by providing $565 million for Public Diplomacy (PD) programs to inform foreign opinion. PD programs assist in countering misinformation about the U.S., its foreign policy and strengthen relationships between Americans and foreign publics.


Ensuring Effectiveness and Accountability to the American Taxpayer:

Strengthening the Effective Management of our People, Programs, Information, and Capital Assets: Improving business process and program design and aligning foreign assistance, policies, and resources with key strategic priorities as part of the Impact Initiative (formerly Redesign) in order to better advance American interests in a constantly changing world. Modernizing Information Technology: Investing $150 million for modernizing the State Department’s information technology, including wireless and cloud-based services to provide our employees with greater mobility.

Focusing on an Effective Workforce and Leadership: Advancing leadership and modernization of the State Department and USAID workforce through the Impact Initiative. Requesting $96.2 million for Impact initiatives to develop a more flexible workforce and pursue operational management efficiencies.

Source: Dept. of State