Kamlager-Dove Statement on HFAC Passage of the State Department Authorization Package

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, released the following statement after the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) markup on nine State Department Authorization bills:

“House Republicans on the Foreign Affairs Committee just rubberstamped Donald Trump's disastrous foreign policy agenda for the State Department. Over 25 hours of committee work, Republicans rushed through shoddy State Authorization bills that dismantle our diplomatic toolbox while staying silent on the foreign policy dumpster fire this administration has created over the last nine months. These bills fail the American people at a time when Trump is abdicating U.S. global leadership. 

“From the beginning of the year, committee Republicans have used these State Authorization bills as a shield to avoid any meaningful participation or oversight in U.S. foreign policy. It has been their recurring excuse for only holding seven public hearings–compared to 26 at this same point last Congress–and shockingly limited subcommittee activity. As a result, this committee has not engaged in any real debate around the arbitrary tariffs sweeping the globe, the bombing of Iran without congressional authorization, or the lethal strikes carried out in the Caribbean. There has been no meaningful discussion about the severe reduction of our diplomatic workforce, the decimation of foreign aid, or the illegal closure of independent agencies. 

“A markup where the bulk of Democratic amendments are called up at 3AM, where State Department feedback on the legislation under consideration is withheld from Members, and where Members have six days to review nine bills and hundreds of amendments is not legitimate policymaking. This authorization process was nothing more than Republicans’ cover to abandon their oversight role as the Trump Administration wrecks decades of bipartisan foreign policy consensus. 

“Despite this hyper-partisan climate, I will always try to find ways to work with Republicans to advance the causes that are important to my constituents. That's why I am proud to announce that after months of difficult negotiations, several of my legislative priorities were included in the State Department Authorization package, highlighting bipartisan support for these initiatives:

• H.R. 5300 and H.R. 5246: The Enduring Welcome Act, which would reestablish the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts that the Trump Administration dismantled.
• H.R. 5300: The American Decade of Sports Act, which would equip the State Department to maximize the diplomatic potential of the major international sporting events being hosted in the United States over the next ten years.
• H.R. 5300: A Central Asia Connectivity Task Force and strategy to support our Central Asian partners in reducing their economic dependence on Russia and China.
• H.R. 5300: A strategy to ensure State Department commercial diplomacy is facilitating market access for the American music, film, music, TV, and art that advances U.S. soft power.
• H.R. 5300: A provision to shine a light on the human rights violations committed by the Taliban against Afghan women and girls.
• H.R. 5300: A sense of Congress calling on Trump to attend the Quad Leaders’ Summit in India in November.”

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