FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 15, 2019

The U.S. Administration recently released its budget proposal for the fiscal year 2020, titled “Budget for a Better America.” The proposal requests an overall 23% decrease from the 2019 enacted budget for Department of State & International Programs. At the same time, this budget proposes a 5% increase to the Department of Defense. Individual cuts include the U.S. Institute of Peace, at less than half of 2019 enacted levels, and U.S. contributions to UN peacekeeping operations, at a 27% cut. The budget would zero out the Complex Crises Fund and Reconciliation Programs account.

As AfP has done for the last three years, we will work with partners and the U.S. Congress to reject these draconian proposed cuts. At the same time, we will work to leverage some positive policy signals within the budget narrative, including the acknowledgment of conflict as the basis for crises, greater need for flexible funding, and better coordination across bureaus and agencies.

A recent report on the cost of war from Brown University highlights that the United States has spent close to $6 trillion dollars on war and war-related expenses since 2001. The report notes that these costs are a rising national security concern because they are not economically sustainable. The report also bolsters AfP advocacy for making prevention the tool of first resort and addressing the root causes of violent conflict, thereby avoiding the need for costly military interventions.

Learn more about AfP’s work in policy and advocacy.