WASHINGTON, D.C., (June 28, 2024) – Today, U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) voting in favor of H.R. 8771, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. The bill included two of Rep. Burchett’s amendments.
“This bill saved the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by cutting funding to the United Nations, and also included two of my amendments to eliminate funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the Office of the Special Climate Envoy. It also prohibited funding for Wuhan, which is long overdue.” Said Rep. Burchett.
The bill passed 212-200.
Rep. Burchett’s amendments would:
- Defund the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
- Rep. Burchett introduced this amendment because the agency failed to properly vet its staff. Specifically, one of its senior executives, Setareh Seig, was fired by the Trump administration then promptly rehired under the Biden administration despite lying on her resume, misusing taxpayer funds, and engaging in workplace misconduct.
- Defund the Office of the Special Climate Envoy.
H.R. 8771 would also:
- Cost $51.71 billion, which is $7.6 billion below FY 2024 levels.
- Eliminate funding for the United Nations’ regular budget, which would save taxpayers $761.6 million.
- Eliminate eight accounts in the bill, reducing 14 accounts to FY 2019 levels, and reducing 14 accounts below FY 2019 levels.
- Eliminate over 18 unnecessary programs.
- Prohibit funds for the Wuhan Institute of Virology and labs in foreign adversary nations such as China, Iran, Russia, North Korea, or Cuba.
- Support Israel with $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing while prohibiting funding for several international coalitions that have demonstrated an anti-Israel bias.
- Counter the Chinese Communist Party by sending $2.1 million for U.S. security interests in the Indo-Pacific and $500 million in Foreign Military Financing for Taiwan.
- Prohibit funds for the World Health Organization, Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund, and the United Nations Population Fund.
The full text of H.R. 8771 can be found here. The text of Rep. Burchett’s amendment to defund the USAGM can be found here. The text of Rep. Burchett’s amendment to defund the Office of the Special Climate Envoy can be found here.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://burchett.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-burchett-votes-state-and-foreign-operations-appropriations-bill