Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2025
Floor Speech
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Ms. MENG. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.
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Ms. MENG. I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. The bill, as it stands, already cuts 83 percent of the contributions to international organization accounts compared to fiscal year 2024 and excludes funding for our treaty obligations, as well as the majority of U.N. organizations that we traditionally fund.
We have watched as the People's Republic of China challenges the U.S. at the U.N. and other multilateral institutions working to insert their values of authoritarianism and disrespect for human rights.
By cutting all funding to the U.N. and its agencies, this bill leaves a void for our adversaries to fill.
Madam Chair, let me give you one example of the devastating effect of this amendment.
In 2023 the U.S. was the largest contributor to UNICEF's core resources. It is this consistent funding that has enabled UNICEF and partners to reduce under 5 childhood mortality by more than one-half since the year 2000, and more children are surviving today than ever before.
This support could end. The U.N. is not perfect. No large bureaucracy is. Our ability to improve its operations, make sure its stances reflect our values, and have the U.N. serve its mission for peace hinges on the U.S. being an active, participating member of that organization.
I fully support the authorization of these entities, but we all know that will not happen overnight. While we work toward that goal, we cannot cut off participation and support.
Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. MENG. Madam Chair, as mentioned before, our participation is in the United States' interest. I oppose this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.
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Ms. MENG. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
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Ms. MENG. Madam Chair, I rise as the designee of the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), and I move to strike the last word.
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Ms. MENG. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to this bill for many reasons, but I want to take this opportunity to focus on one in particular. It is the text on women's reproductive health and rights around the world.
In 2024, no woman should die while giving life. Every individual should have the right to decide when, whether, and with whom to start a family. Every person should be able to make choices about their bodies without violence or coercion.
As we have seen, our colleagues do not share this commitment to reproductive rights. This week, we marked the solemn anniversary of the Dobbs decision, which stripped those rights from tens of millions of women. Now, this bill is trying to take Dobbs global by attacking the health and rights of women and girls around the world.
It would also ban contributions to the U.N. Population Fund, UNFPA, an organization that serves 24.2 million women and couples every year. In 2023, with U.S. funding alone, UNFPA saved 4,000 moms from dying in childbirth and prevented 2 million unintended pregnancies through voluntary contraception.
It gets worse. This bill would also codify the Trump-era global gag rule into law, which violates the trusted relationships between patients and providers and blocks access to essential reproductive healthcare.
For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill.
My amendment would simply reinstate current law by striking the ban on funding for UNFPA and bringing U.S. bilateral investments and family planning back to the current enacted level. It would also remove the codification of the global gag rule.
Additionally, my amendment does not change any of the current provisions in law that restrict the use of family planning funds. It would simply ensure that countries are setting their own health policies, not the United States.
We can't in good conscience support this bill knowing the detrimental impact it would have on the health and well-being of women, children, and families worldwide.
At the end of the debate, I will insert into the Record the text of this amendment. I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.
Madam Chair, I include in the Record the text of the amendment.
Ms. Meng moves to recommit the bill H.R. 8771 to the Committee on Appropriations with the following amendment:
Amend section 7057 to read as follows: SUPPORT FOR WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH/FAMILY PLANNING ACTIVITIES AND UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND
Sec. 7057. (a) Assistance--Of the funds provided under title III of this Act for fiscal year 2025, not less than $575,000,000 shall be made available for family planning/ reproductive health. (b) Contribution to United Nations Population Fund--(1) Of the funds made available in this Act for fiscal year 2025, a voluntary contribution may be made to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in order to provide assistance to expand access and use of contraception in developing countries, to furnish maternal and reproductive health care in humanitarian crises, to address the harmful practices of female genital mutilation and child, early and forced marriage, and to prevent obstetric fistula.
(2) Funds appropriated by this Act for UNFPA, that are not made available for UNFPA because of the operation of any provision of law, shall be transferred to the ``Global Health Programs'' account and shall be made available for family planning, maternal, and reproductive health activities, subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
(3) None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by UNFPA for a country program in the People's Republic of China.
(4) Funds made available by this Act for UNFPA may not be made available unless--
(A) UNFPA maintains funds made available by this Act in an account separate from other accounts of UNFPA and does not commingle such funds with other sums; and
(B) UNFPA does not fund abortions. (5)(A) Not later than 4 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations indicating the amount of funds that the UNFPA is budgeting for the year in which the report is submitted for a country program in the People's Republic of China.
(B) If a report under the preceding subparagraph (A) indicates that the UNFPA plans to spend funds for a country program in the People's Republic of China in the year covered by the report, then the amount of such funds the UNFPA plans to spend in the People's Republic of China shall be deducted from the funds made available to UNFPA after March 1 for obligation for the remainder of the fiscal year in which the report is submitted.
Strike subsection (b) of section 7058.
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Ms. MENG. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. Amendment No. 61 Offered by Mr. Steube
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