Blinken argued that the State Department budget would put Washington in a place to address all of its key challenges, which he categorized into two “sets.”
“The first set is posed by our strategic competitors — the immediate, acute threat posed by Russia’s autocracy and aggression, most destructively through its brutal war against Ukraine … and the long-term challenge from the People’s Republic of China,” said Blinken. “The second set is posed by shared global tests, including the climate crisis, migration, food and energy insecurity, and pandemics, all of which directly impact the lives and livelihoods of Americans and all peoples around the world,” he added.“The post-Cold War world is over, and there is an intense competition underway to determine what comes next,” Blinken told a Senate panel on appropriations. “This budget will help us advance that vision, and deliver on the issues that matter most to the American people.”