Chairman Yoho on the hearing: “In this hearing, the Subcommittee will hear from representatives from the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development on their Fiscal Year 2018 budget requests for East Asia and the Pacific. As Secretary of Defense General Mattis famously said, when our diplomatic engagement is underfunded, he needs ‘to buy more ammunition,’ but State Department and USAID activities should also be conducted in a cost effective manner with a mind to a return on our investments. This hearing will help Members to strike the correct balance as we conduct our budget oversight responsibilities.”

Witnesses

Ms. Susan Thornton
Acting Assistant Secretary
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State
[full text of statement]

Ms. Gloria Steele
Acting Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Asia
U.S. Agency for International Development
[full text of statement]

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Hearing transcript (PDF)