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Royce: Raising my voice for development, diplomacy

Raymond Royce
Raymond Royce is executive director of Highland County Citrus Growers.

They say nothing good comes from talking about politics, that you should keep quiet and bite your tongue.

But the American way has never been to avoid uncomfortable truths. And simply put, it would be irresponsible to cut one-third of our civilian development and diplomacy forces at a time of extreme global threats, famines of historic proportions and the worst refugee crisis since World War II. Yet the administration’s proposed budget threatens to do exactly that. Too much is at stake to remain silent.

But don’t just take my word for it. Over 120 retired generals and admirals recently wrote to Congress with a simple, yet powerful message: “Now is not the time to retreat.” They argued that disengagement from diplomatic and global development initiatives will not serve the United States’ short- or long-term objectives.

Just as the military must be prepared to fight on the frontlines, it likewise “needs strong civilian partners in the battle against the drivers of extremism – lack of opportunity, insecurity, injustice, and hopelessness.”

Under both Republican and Democratic Administrations, agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Peace Corps have worked around the world, fighting those very battles. They’ve partnered with countries in need to build more secure and stable communities, strengthening U.S. national security in the process. But cuts to the International Affairs Budget threaten to roll back, if not eliminate much of the progress achieved by these vital civilian forces.

It was President Reagan who said that “…we should never forget that we aren't buying friends; we're helping friends. We're helping them open the roads of enterprise and opportunity for their own people, helping them build their own institutions of pluralism and democracy, and helping them defend themselves against externally sponsored pressures and subversion.” At home, we rarely hear about West Africa’s bustling markets and thriving schools, or the community clinics that provide much needed health care to the sick. Yet, those are the institutions that strengthen civil society and foster safer, more secure environments in which U.S. diplomatic and business interests can thrive.

Even though American support for global development and diplomacy programs accounts for a mere one percent of the overall federal budget, the administration claims that slashing the international affairs budget “free[s] up funding for critical priorities here at home and put[s] America first.” This assertion is woefully misguided. We will never balance the budget by slashing the already limited resources that play a vital role in protecting national security, building economic prosperity, and advancing our nation’s values. Our well being at home is directly linked to stability abroad.

In Florida, more than 2.5 million jobs depend on international trade. And Florida exports total more than $50 billion each year. By expanding into foreign markets, U.S. businesses support developing economies, providing good paying jobs and greater stability in the process.

Testifying before Congress as the outgoing Commander of U.S. Central Command, Secretary of Defense Mattis argued in 2013: “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.” Just four years later, we seem to have already lost sight of his message.

The administration’s proposal to slash foreign assistance by upwards of 30 percent fails to recognize that protecting U.S. interests requires actively engaged diplomacy and development efforts – not just a strong military. And at a time when the world is struggling to respond to crises of famine, war, and instability, the United States needs all three instruments of national power, not just one.

To achieve this end, our elected leaders cannot accept cuts to the nation’s most vital diplomacy and development efforts. That is why I urge Representative Tom Rooney, along with the entire Florida Congressional delegation, to maintain current funding levels for the International Affairs Budget. And I ask my fellow Americans to join me by calling on their representatives to speak up and support robust funding for our civilian forces. Anything less puts our nation’s security at risk.

Raymond Royce is executive director of Highland County Citrus Growers. He serves on the Florida Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.