Foreign aid boosts security and the US economy
More young people are alive today than at any other time in history — and 89 percent of the world’s 10 to 20- year- olds live in developing countries. In the Middle East, more than 250 million people are under the age of 30. And in Africa, the number of people between the ages of 15 and 24 will double by 2045. Without access to clean water, well- staffed medical clinics, and thriving markets, this impending population boom could, predictably, lead to chaos and greater instability. Yet, the administration’s first cut at a proposed budget slashes funding for critical international assistance efforts by upwards of 30 percent, threatening the very programs that empower countries to care for their next generation.
Having served in the military for 32 years, I know our country’s diplomatic and development programs provide extensive counterterrorism and counterinsurgency assistance to countries of high- priority for national security, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. They offer countries the tools necessary to build and train national armies and police forces, support democracy and the rule of law, and improve destitute living conditions that can fuel extremism and anti-American sentiment. Simply put, investments in development and diplomacy reduce the burdens on our men and women in uniform and diminish the likelihood of costly military involvement. Just ask the more than 120 retired three- and four- star generals and admirals who wrote Congress in support of such programs earlier this year, saying: “Now is not the time to retreat.”
Thanks to the reform efforts undertaken by the past two administrations, American foreign assistance is more effective today than ever before. What’s more, history has shown that our efforts to aid those in need directly benefits Americans at home. Eleven of America’s top 15 export markets were once recipients of foreign assistance. And today, those markets help to support hundreds of thousands of American jobs nationwide.
In the past two decades alone, the number of tradesupported jobs in the U. S. economy has more than doubled, underscoring the importance of American engagement overseas in the world’s fastest growing markets. Historically, for every dollar the United States spends to promote exports, $ 40 overall is brought back to our economy. And at a time when Ohio is exporting $ 51.8 billion in goods each year, the United States simply cannot afford to pull back from the international community.
Look no further than the work being done by agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, the State Department and the Peace Corps, which have helped cut the number of people living in extreme poverty in half since 1990, increased life expectancy in the developing world by 33 percent, and have tripled the number of children enrolled in primary school in the past 25 years. But for as much as we’ve accomplished, there is much left to do. Millions of people around the world are still plagued by famine, disease and political instability. And without adequate funding, the progress we’ve made in recent years could start to unravel.
The United States has the resources needed to invest in development and diplomacy — and let’s keep in mind it’s only 1 percent of the federal budget. It’s the political will to make these strategic investments that may be in short supply. But whether it is a global pandemic like Ebola, or the spread of Islamic State, the threats facing our nation today don’t respect borders, and won’t go away just because we decide to disengage.
That is why I urge Sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown, and the rest of the Ohio congressional delegation to seriously consider maintaining current funding levels for the international affairs budget. If we fail to act going forward, the repercussions may well be felt for generations to come.