News 28 March 2019

Pompeo seeks more money to address DPRK, Iran, Russia, and China concerns

‘Our diplomatic efforts toward the final, fully-verified denuclearization of North Korea are the most successful that have ever been undertaken. We remain committed to that goal. This budget provides for our diplomatic outreach to continue, and to continue implementation and enforcement of sanctions until we achieve our objective.’

So said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressing the House Appropriations Committee, requesting a departmental budget of $40bn for FY2020.

As regards other threats which, he said, the money would help the government counter:

‘China is proactively applying its power and exerting its influence in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States is responding decisively to China’s aggressive actions. The United States’ future security, prosperity, and leadership depends on maintaining a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific. To advance the Indo-Pacific strategy, the budget request nearly doubles U.S. foreign assistance resources targeting this crucial area compared to the FY 2019 request.

‘Russia poses threats that have evolved beyond external or military aggression, and now include influence operations targeting America and the Western world. This budget prioritizes countering Russian malign influence in Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia, and further strengthens the Department’s own systems against malign actors.’

Iran, he said, ‘would continue to proliferate conflict,’ and the United States would work ‘with our allies and partners to counter Tehran’s aggressive actions to undermine peace and security in the Middle East and beyond,’ while closer to home (geographically), the budget also requests ‘new authority to support a democratic transition in Venezuela.’

 

See:

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP04/20190327/109146/HHRG-116-AP04-Wstate-PompeoM-20190327.pdf