WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement Thursday after President Trump proposed slashing State Department and foreign programming in his budget preview to Congress:

“I am deeply disappointed and dismayed to find out that despite the concerns raised by bipartisan Members of Congress and even by his own Secretary of State, President Trump appears determined to gut U.S. national security by slashing the State Department and USAID budgets by 36 percent.

“These devastating cuts to our front-line national security departments and agencies come at a time when the United States faces unprecedented challenges on the world stage, from Russian aggression to the humanitarian crises in Syria, Iraq and Yemen to climate change to the wave of potentially catastrophic famine destabilizing sub-Saharan Africa. If enacted this budget would only make the world more dangerous for America and Americans, and make it harder to safeguard our interests, promote our values and further expand our prosperity. 

“This is a budget proposal that undermines our nation’s security.”