Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, spoke on the the importance of United States diplomacy at a forum organized by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition on Monday in Indianapolis.
A main subject of his remarks was the proposed cut to the State Department's budget. Young was joined by Lee Feinstein, dean of the School of Global and International Studies at IU, and former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-9th District, the director of the Center on Congress at IU, among other leaders.
“Today, threats such as terrorism, pandemics, and cyber attacks do not respect borders," Young said in his prepared remarks. "These threats are as diverse and serious as any in memory, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans do not afford the protection they once did. As a result, we cannot best protect our citizens if we pretend America is an isolated fortress and pull up the drawbridge and hide behind the moat."
Young mentioned the Marshall Plan, a post-World War II initiative in which the U.S. gave financial support to western Europe, as a successful diplomatic effort. He said the funded countries have become important trading partners. He emphasized the importance of funding for the United States Agency for International Development.
“In short, if we are going to build and sustain broad, bipartisan, and durable support for robust investments in diplomacy and development in particular, and the international affairs budget more broadly, we must be able to prove to skeptics that these programs are as efficient and well-run as possible and that they are essential to our nation’s freedom, security, and prosperity," Young said.
Jesse Naranjo
