July 22, 2025
The Honorable Tom Cole
Chairman, House Appropriations Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Dear Chairman Cole and Members of the Committee:
On behalf of National Taxpayers Union, the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, I write to express our views regarding tomorrow’s FY26 appropriations markup for National Security, Department of State, and related programs. NTU thanks the Committee for its commitment to fiscal responsibility by proposing to spend less in the upcoming fiscal year than the current one. Enactment at the proposed levels would represent a meaningful step toward reducing federal debt levels that future generations of Americans will need to pay.
While our fiscal situation cannot be fixed overnight, NTU is pleased that the proposed legislation reduces discretionary spending by 22% compared to FY25. While not enough to balance the budget, this proposed $13.13 billion spending cut would break the upward trend of discretionary spending. For example, we appreciate the significant downward shift in support for multilateral assistance, including a savings of $437 million by ending support for international organizations and programs and saving $2 billion by significantly reducing spending on international financial organizations.
In addition to the spending reductions, the proposed legislation includes several policies that will allow the federal government to focus its limited resources on programs of highest benefit to the American taxpayer. It supports ongoing administration efforts to refocus the Department of State on core priorities, eliminating wasteful or non-strategic programs along the way. It encourages several international programs long reliant on American funding to transition to a more balanced support model over time, while focusing more resources on critical diplomatic functions like passport applications and embassy security. It refocuses foreign aid on core partners and American national security interests, and away from non-strategic goals, like DEI policies.
Thank you for your consideration of our views. In short, we appreciate this legislation’s attention to our fiscal situation and we strongly encourage you to reduce discretionary spending even further. Reductions included in this bill and throughout the broader appropriations process can turn around our nation’s concerning fiscal outlook.
Sincerely,
David Timmons
Senior Policy Manager