Save the Children Applauds House Committee Rejecting Cuts to Foreign Aid, Increasing Funding for Key Programs

Washington, D.C. (May 17, 2019) – The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved the fiscal year 2020 Department of State and Foreign Operations (SFOPs) appropriations bill, which includes funding for international development, global health, gender equality, and humanitarian assistance programs. Not only does the bill include strong funding levels for these programs, the bill even provides for important increases in funding to better meet maternal and child health, basic education, and humanitarian assistance needs.

Through this bill, the Committee rejected the Administration’s proposed budget for international affairs through providing $56.4 billion for the SFOPs bill – an increase of roughly 4 percent from the fiscal year 2019 enacted level.

“We applaud the House’s effort to ensure that robust funding is available to respond to the urgent crises affecting children,” said Carolyn Miles, President and CEO of Save the Children. “We want the U.S. to be a leader in ensuring children survive, learn through a quality basic education, and are protected. With 420 million children living in areas affected by conflict and too many girls out of school, the funding levels this bill provides – including increases to maternal and child health, basic education, and humanitarian assistance – are critical.”

Highlights of the bill include:

• Maternal and Child Health – $850 million, an increase of $15 million from fiscal year 2019 enacted
• Nutrition – $145 million
• Basic Education – $925 million, an increase of $125 million for bilateral and multilateral from fiscal year 2019 enacted
• Agriculture/Feed the Future – $1.0056 billion, an increase of $5 million from fiscal year 2019 enacted
• International Disaster Assistance – $4.435 billion, an increase of $50 million from fiscal year 2019 enacted
• Migration and Refugee Assistance – $3.532 billion, an increase of $100 million from fiscal year 2019 enacted
• USAID Operating Expenses – $1.404 billion, an increase of $31.88 million from fiscal year 2019 enacted

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