National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027

Floor Speech

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Mr. STEUBE. Madam Chair, I rise in strong support for my amendment to increase the withholding threshold for assistance to Nigeria from 50 percent to 100 percent, while keeping in place benchmarks that demand Nigeria take effective steps to address the violence and persecution that continue to devastate the country.

Nigeria has faced a horrific wave of violence that its corrupt government has failed to address. For years, and especially in recent months, Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria have been subjected to violence and terrorism at the hands of extremists who are operating with impunity. Christian women and girls continue to be abducted, assaulted, tortured, and killed. Their churches are burned, and entire communities are erased.

If the aid conditions included in the bill are important enough to withhold half of all the funding to the Nigerian Government, then they are important enough to withhold all of the funding.

The generosity of our taxpayers is a reflection of the American values we hold so firmly. Never should we allow their hard-earned tax dollars to be funneled to corrupt regimes that fail to uphold religious freedom, fail to adequately confront terrorism, and fail to protect the innocent from persecution. So why are we rewarding a government that fails to meet such a basic obligation?

This amendment is simple. It does not remove the aid conditions in the bill but only strengthens such conditions. Most importantly, it upholds a principle that all recipients of American taxpayer assistance should follow: that they must prove that they are willing and able to respond to violence before receiving any funding.

Simply put, meet the standard before receiving support. That is the accountability that the American taxpayer deserves.

Foreign aid should never be a reward for failure, so as our national debt is fast approaching $40 trillion, why on Earth are we still allowing our ourselves to go further into debt by rewarding corrupt foreign governments that tolerate terrorism within their borders?

When churches are burned, women and girls are abducted, and terrorists operate with near impunity, that is not merely an internal disturbance. It is a direct assault on the freedoms our Nation claims to defend, which our foreign assistance must reflect and uphold.

This is not about punishing the Nigerian people. It is about demanding accountability for their government's complacency and ensuring that our foreign aid is leveraged to defend, reflect, and uphold American values.

Even the underlying bill recognizes the Nigerian Government's failure to meet the standard, yet it still allows for half of the funding to be released anyway.

My amendment withholds all funds until they meet basic standards. Accountability can never be divided, nor should we allow anyone to exploit the generosity of the American taxpayer.

I urge my colleagues to uphold accountability in our foreign aid spending and to vote for my amendment.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. STEUBE. Madam Chair, this amendment does not end all assistance. It only strengthens the conditions and encourages the Nigerian Government to meet them.

Why should we give 50 percent of the money when the Nigerian Government has not met the criteria established in the underlying bill?

We are approaching $40 trillion in debt. Why are we sending funds to corrupt countries overseas that are unwilling to fully address violence and persecution? The generosity of the American taxpayer should reflect American values. We can't be putting ourselves more into debt to countries that are unwilling to uphold our values.

The U.S. should not borrow money to subsidize foreign governments that fail to protect innocent civilians. If the aid conditions included in the bill are important enough to withhold half of the funding to the Nigerian Government, then they are important enough to withhold all of the funding until the underlying conditions are met.

The Nigerian Government continues to fail to address violence in their country. Why should they still be eligible for funding given their lackluster response to the violence?

Christian women and girls continue to be abducted, assaulted, tortured, and killed. Their churches are burned, and entire communities are erased.

Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. STEUBE. Madam Chair, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

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Mr. STEUBE. Madam Chair, the underlying bill contains several conditions for assistance to be made available to Nigeria, which includes taking effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable; prioritizing resources to support victims of such violence, including internally displaced persons; actively facilitating the safe return, resettlement, and reconstruction of communities impacted by the violence; and allocating sufficient resources to address the aforementioned conditions.

This begs the question: If Nigeria isn't meeting these conditions fully, why should they receive any funding? If they truly want the support of the American taxpayer, then they should be meeting these goals.

Furthermore, while the underlying bill directs prioritization to address the atrocities occurring in Nigeria, they should be showing willingness to utilize the funding provided to address the violence before receiving funds.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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