While Paul Ryan has been perfectly willing to politicize the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, he has failed to note that the Romney-Ryan budget would require deep cuts to the State Department budget – and could slash funding for diplomatic security, construction and maintenance by $300 million at U.S. embassies around the world. In fact, Congressman Ryan and House Republicans have pushed for deep cuts affecting diplomatic security for years.
THE ROMNEY-RYAN BUDGET COULD CUT DIPLOMATIC SECURITY FUNDING BY MORE THAN TWICE AS MUCH AS THE SEQUESTRATION RYAN VOTED FOR
Under Sequestration – Which Ryan And Many Other Republicans Voted For – Embassy Security, Construction And Maintenance And Protection Of Foreign Missions And Officials Would Face Cuts Totaling $131 Million While The Ryan Budget Would Cut Them By $303 Million Over The Next Two Years. “Under so-called sequestration, which Ryan and many other Republicans voted for, funding for diplomatic and consular programs would be cut by about $1 billion next year, according to a Sept. 14 analysis by the White House budget office. That includes a $129 million cut to the ‘Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance’ budget category and another $2 million cut to the ‘Protection of Foreign Missions and Officials’ category, for a total of $131 million. The figure is expected to be roughly the same for 2014, because the sequestration cuts remain at roughly the same level throughout the decade. Ryan, by contrast, phases in the cuts. His budget called for a 19 percent across-the-board cut to non-defense discretionary spending in 2014, according to Zients, much deeper than the 8.2 percent cut under sequestration. Assuming an across-the-board distribution of the cuts, his proposal would have slashed the first category by $298 million and the second by $5 million, for a total of $303 million – $172 million than the cut under sequestration.” [Hill, 10/7/12]
- The Ryan Budget Doesn’t Exempt Embassy Security From Cuts. “Back in March, Jeffrey Zients, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, said that ‘since the House refused to specify what would be cut, we consider the impacts if the cuts are distributed equally across the board.’ …But the Ryan budget doesn't exempt embassy security from cuts, either.” [Hill, 10/7/12]
RYAN AND HOUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE PUSHED FOR DEEP CUTS EFFECTING DIPLOMATIC SECURITY FOR YEARS
Washington Posts Dana Milbank: “Diplomatic Security Is Inadequate Partly Because Of Budget Cuts Forced By… Republicans In Congress.” “The purpose of the pre-election hearing, presumably, is to embarrass the administration for inadequate diplomatic security. But [Rep. Darrell] Issa seems unaware of the irony that diplomatic security is inadequate partly because of budget cuts forced by his fellow Republicans in Congress.” [Milbank, Washington Post, 10/9/12]
- The GOP-Controlled House Proposed Spending $216 Million Less For The State Department’s Worldwide Security Protection Program Requested By The Obama Administration For Fiscal 2013. “For fiscal 2013, the GOP-controlled House proposed spending $1.934 billion for the State Department’s Worldwide Security Protection program — well below the $2.15 billion requested by the Obama administration.” [Milbank, Washington Post, 10/9/12]
- House Republicans Cut The Obama Administration’s Request For Embassy Security By Nearly $460 Million In Fiscal Years 2011 And 2012. “House Republicans cut the administration’s request for embassy security funding by $128 million in fiscal 2011 and $331 million in fiscal 2012. (Negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Senate restored about $88 million of the administration’s request.)” [Milbank, Washington Post, 10/9/12]
Washington Posts Dana Milbank: “[Rep. Paul] Ryan, [Rep. Darrell] Issa And Other House Republicans Voted For An Amendment In 2009 To Cut $1.2 Billion From State Operations, Including Funds For 300 More Diplomatic Security Positions.” [Milbank, Washington Post, 10/9/12]
- Ryan, In 2009, Was One Of 156 House Members Who Voted For A Failed Amendment To “Reduce The Diplomatic And Consular Programs By $1.2 Billion.” Paul Ryan, on July 9, 2009, voted for an amendment H.AMDT.307 to H.R. 3081, an amendment that “would reduce the Diplomatic and Consular Programs by $1.2 billion and would reduce the Operating Expenses for United States Agency for International Development (USAID) by $330 million and the Global Health program by $670 million. The cuts to these three accounts would reduce the overall bill by $2.2 billion. The amendment was opposed in the House by a vote 271 to 156.” [H.R. 3081, Vote 517, 7/9/09 and Rep. Steven E. Buyer, R-Ind., Release, 7/11/09]
- Ryan Against The Overall State And Foreign Operations Appropriations. Ryan, on July 9, voted against the overall State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, H.R. 3081. The spending measure passed the House by 318 to 106. [H.R. 3081, Vote 517, 7/9/09]
Washington Posts Dana Milbank: “Last Year, Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton Warned That Republicans’ Proposed Cuts To Her Department Would Be ‘Detrimental To America’s National Security’ — A Charge [House] Republicans Rejected.” [Milbank, Washington Post, 10/9/12]