On the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
President Biden believes deeply in the ability of U.S. global leadership to solve challenges, and the Administration recognizes that diplomacy and development are vital tools for advancing U.S. interests and values. That is why the Fiscal Year 2023 President’s Budget requests $60.4 billion for the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), $1.9 billion, or 3 percent, above the Fiscal Year 2022 Request, and $7.4 billion, or 14 percent, above FY 2021 enacted levels. With these resources, we can advance our foreign policy agenda and deliver for the American people.
The Budget will fund a range of Department of State and USAID priorities, including:
Support for Ukraine and Our Allies and Partners in the Region: The Request includes $1.6 billion to support Ukraine against Russia’s premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified invasion and assist other countries across Europe and Central Asia threatened by regional insecurity. The Request provides significant assistance to our allies and partners while building their capacity to counter actions from malign actors.
Affirming U.S. Alliances and Renewing U.S. International Leadership: The Request maintains longstanding commitments to key partners; advances peace, prosperity, and security across the Indo-Pacific and Europe; expands diplomatic and development initiatives in Africa and Asia; and positions us to effectively compete with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia. This Request includes $4 billion to support U.S. commitments to international organizations and affirms U.S. leadership at a moment when our competitors are seeking to expand their influence.
Addressing the Climate Crisis: The Request has $2.3 billion to support U.S. leadership in addressing the existential climate crisis through diplomacy; scaled-up international climate programs that accelerate the global energy transition to net zero by 2050; support to developing countries to enhance climate resilience; and the prioritization of climate adaptation and sustainability principles in Department and USAID domestic and overseas facilities.
Strengthening Global Health Systems: The United States is the international leader in advancing global health outcomes that benefit the American people and millions of others around the world. The Budget requests $10.6 billion in Department and USAID funding to continue to collaborate with international partners to invest in cross-cutting health systems to prevent child and maternal deaths, combat infectious diseases, and control HIV/AIDS.
Revitalizing Alliances and Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific: To strengthen and modernize America’s alliances and partnerships in a vital global region and affirm U.S. leadership in strategic competition, the Request includes $1.8 billion to implement the Indo-Pacific Strategy to support a free, open, connected, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific Region, and an additional $400 million for the Countering PRC Malign Influence Fund (CPMIF).
Defending Democracy Globally: In response to increasing authoritarianism around the world, the Request has more than $3.2 billion to advance democratization, protect universal human rights, bolster anti-corruption work, and increase programming that builds inclusive, legitimate, and effective governance – consistent with the commitments made during the President’s Summit for Democracy.
Promoting Gender Equity and Equality Worldwide: The Request includes $2.6 billion to advance gender equity and equality across a broad range of sectors, more than doubling such funding over the FY 2022 Budget. This entails $200 million for the Gender Equity and Equality Action (GEEA) Fund to advance the economic security of women and girls.
Revitalizing and Expanding the Diplomatic and Development Workforce: This Request would equip the Department and USAID to continue to recruit, retain, and develop a diverse, dynamic, and highly capable workforce to tackle 21st century challenges. It advances diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; supports professional development opportunities; and builds capacity in critical new areas such as cyberspace and emerging technology.
The Budget Request makes these smart investments while also reducing deficits and improving our country’s long-term fiscal outlook.
The State Department and USAID are also releasing today the new 2022-2026 Joint Strategic Plan (JSP), a four-year joint plan that serves as the primary State and USAID strategy for advancing our foreign policy and development priorities in both organizations. The JSP is organized around five goals, as reflected in the Request as well: renewing U.S. leadership and mobilizing coalitions to address the global challenges that have the greatest impact on Americans’ security and well-being; promoting global prosperity and shaping an international environment in which the United States can thrive; strengthening democratic institutions, upholding universal values, and promoting human dignity; revitalizing the diplomatic and development workforce and institutions, and serving U.S. citizens around the world and facilitating secure international travel.
Concurrent with the publication of the Joint Strategic Plan and in support of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, the Department will release the 2022 Capacity Assessment for Research, Evaluation, Statistics and Other Analysis, and the Annual Evaluation Plan. The Department’s first enterprise–wide Learning Agenda will be released in April. Together these three documents will promote building evidence and learning in pursuit of the objectives detailed in the Joint Strategic Plan.
