Investing in foreign assistance is “one of the most cost-effective ways our government can keep us both safe and prosperous,” former Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle and Bill Frist write in a joint editorial that urges the U.S. Congress to prioritize international affairs funding in its budget debate this summer.
International affairs programs offer a high return on investments, Daschle, a Democrat, and Frist, a Republican, write in the Politico, arguing that these programs help strengthen communities and governments, complement U.S. military efforts with public diplomacy, and boost exports.
Overseas programs cost a little more than one percent of the federal budget, Eric Peckham of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition notes, and the cost of such programs “is quickly recuperated by the stability they encourage abroad and the foundations they build for American businesses looking to expand to new parts of the world.”
Peckam adds: “Democrats and Republicans have always been able to work together when it comes to protecting our nation, and in this tense budget season, it is reassuring to see bipartisan support for the International Affairs Budget.”
