Biden's $6.9T budget includes $63.1B for State Department, USAID

By Rabia İclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden’s $6.9 trillion budget that he unveiled Thursday to fund the federal government during the next fiscal year included $63.1 billion for the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), up from $60.4 billion the previous year.

The budget will make it possible for the US to continue to promote its “national interests, lead the world in tackling global challenges and continue support for the people of Ukraine,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

“In response to these unprecedented and extraordinary times, the request includes mandatory and discretionary resources to out-compete the People’s Republic of China (PRC), strengthen the U.S. role in the Indo-Pacific and advance American prosperity globally through new investments,” he said.

The US will continue its international efforts to “bolster economic, energy, food and health security, mitigate the climate crisis and address irregular migration – global challenges that increasingly affect Americans at home,” according to the statement.

In a separate statement, the State Department detailed that the budget will be used in many areas, including to support Ukraine, to address strategic competition with China, to invest in Indo-Pacific partnerships, to protect “Afghan allies,” to strengthen global democracy and to expand overseas engagement as well as for protecting diplomats and improving consular services.

The budget for Ukraine includes $1.7 billion that will “help Ukraine win the war and lay the reform and recovery foundation for winning the peace and help other partners impacted by the war stabilize their economies and prepare for recovery,” said the State Department.

The budget also includes $3.2 billion in discretionary funding to support implementation of the Indo-Pacific Strategy as well as $400 million to counter China.

The State Department is also requesting a budget for shared global challenges, including $4.2 billion for the climate crisis, $1.2 billion for food insecurity, $10.9 billion for global health, and more than $10.5 billion to support global humanitarian needs, including resources for refugees and migrants.

It is also requesting more than $3.4 billion to strengthen global democracy and over $3 billion to "advance gender equality and equity."