Germany, the may firing of the state departments Inspector General, and President Trumps recent tweet on possibly delaying the 2020 election. Hearingeign relations is almost three hours. Good morning, everyone. Today we have with us secretary of state mike pompeo to discuss the state departments fiscal year 2021 budget request. Any judge,history is secretary pompeo will face a wide variety of questions that extend beyond the departments budget, which i know you can handle. The u. S. And our allies and partners continue to face serious foreign challenges that will test us for decades to come. Chineseder the communist party is our chief competitor and russia is a key adversary. The efforts of these nations to sow discord, wreak havoc, and undo the free and open International Order upon which shared prosperity and security are built have reached new heights. They have stepped up disinformation and manipulated international institutions, suppressed voices of freedom and democracy, propped up heinous dictators, invaded their neighbors, and denied millions of people access to lifesaving humanitarian assistance. We have a long road ahead of us in this new era of great power competition. We need sustained political will. These challenges require nothing less. On top of all of this, we are confronted by a new challenge, a biological enemy that we still do not fully understand, an enemy that in six short months has inflected doubles of physical and economic harm on the world we have not seen in more than 100 years. Here china especially but also russia has played a destructive role, from holding withholding data to spreading disinformation and actively stealing vaccine research, china and russia have again chosen to be and proven themselves to be adversaries. Sanctioning bad actors will never be enough. To confront these and other challenges, the department will need to rely on the vast array of tools and resources. By diplomats must be backed efficient assistant so they can help partners help themselves and contribute to the growth of healthier, more stable societies. We are eager to support a budget that will advance these critical interests. In support of the state departments most critical resources, its people. As the coronavirus accelerate across the world, you are forced to pull diplomats. You didnt pack up and go without a thought of your fellow americans. In some cases, this involved opening for flights and roads for transport. Getneed charter planes to our American People home. There are lots of folks who may never come in contact with the department, yet now, more than 100,000 americans who can personally attest to the tremendous work that your department does for our people every day. As the challenges get more numerous and complex, we want to support a state department that is up to the task, fully funded, staffed, and equipped to advance National Interest on all fronts and at all times. We obviously have threats that impede this, but as the saying goes, all politics are local. Our adversaries understand this all too well. We need our diplomats to be local. I want to publicly thank you for your accessibility that youve had as secretary. As you know, its essential that i have instant access to facts and information. You have always make yourself accessible. I sincerely appreciate that. It is absolutely imperative that i have this information. You have always provided that. I never know where you are in the globe or what time it is but you have always made it happen. For that, i remain very grateful. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Its been a while since you joined us and i appreciate your enthusiasm for fulfilling this part of your constitutional responsibilities. I dont imagine were going to see you here anytime soon. So, this is your opportunity to defend your stunningly illconceived request to slash the budget of our Foreign Policy instruments. Id also like to take a wholesale look at how your department has represented the American People and american interests on the world stage for the past year. And unfortunately, that view is not good, to say the least. Under your watch, the United States has faced setback after setback on the world stage. Ceding leverage and influence to our adversaries. Iran is much closer to a nuclear bomb than when you came into office. Continue to proxies create problems throughout the middle east. 2017 strategy says russia wants to weaken the u. S. Around the world and undermine the legitimacy of democracy, the president and your administration has, at best, not addressed this threat. At worst, simply abetted putins efforts. Withdrawing forces from germany, failing to take action when evidence emerged that russia was paying bounties to kill u. S. Troops in afghanistan, and twice redirecting funds to pay for border wall in september of 2019 and april 2020. Meanwhile, the administrations confrontational bluster has not stopped china and the South China Sea, in hong kong, in suppressing and oppressing its own people. Ever north korea diplomacy, which you assured this committee you would have that diplomacy would have that diplomacy wrapped up a couple of years ago. It appears to have flatlined, leaving north korea with a more capable nuclear program. The state department has been woefully absent. Most recently in its engagement on negotiations related to management of the nile waters. In the western hemisphere, the entirety of our approach seems to be antiimmigrant hysteria and bullying, all while gutting our Institutional Capacity to deal with the root causes of migration. There is bipartisan support for your venezuela policy. But your approach has met with suffering. The administration will not support those who are already exiled. You propose cutting our International Narcotics and law enforcement. On climate change, your department has not just failed to be part of the solution, but is becoming part of the problem. Our allies in europe, in asia, in the middle east routinely wonder out loud whether we can really be counted on. Our values have been denigrated. President trump screen lighting of concentration camps in china and revisionist and sometimes repulsive views espoused by your socalled unalienable rights commission. And in the face of a global pandemic, we havent just taken a backseat at home and abroad. Our leaders point fingers at china and the world health organization, are absent from meetings, and refused to be straight with the congress and the American People on the Public Health threat. All the while, infections and deaths surge across the country. The strength of our diplomacy starts and ends with the strength of our diplomatic force. Earlier this week, i released a report, diplomacy and crisis. I have a copy here in case you havent seen it and i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record. We found a state department at risk of catastrophic value. Career diplomats have a complete and utter disdain. There is a contempt for career employees. Many asking if their Service Still valued. Even as President Trump refers to our diplomats as the deep state department, you have stood by his shoulder and said nothing. Exodus of is an expertise. 7 of the Department Staff left in the first year and while i realize you were not at the department at that time, the department has continued to suffer persistent vacancies without Senate Confirmed nominees. As a response, the administration has repeatedly put forth candidates who do not process the qualifications, the demeanor, nor temperament to serve in leadership positions and represent the American People abroad. When you send us qualified nominees, mr. Secretary, weight we act. We have confirmed more than 190 nominees rate thousands have advanced quickly. You continuously send us nominees who have Sexual Harassment lawsuits and allegations against them, who have supported torture, and whose conduct disqualifies them from service in any administration. Mr. Secretary, the best people dont seem to want to work for you. Finally, let me touch on a few oversight issues that i know you are passionate about as a former member of congress. At your direction, the president recently removed the state department back to general who was investigating last years Emergency Declaration of arms sales to saudi arabia. About which i and colleagues raised serious concerns. Additionally, we have learned of allegations of you using your office to promote your own personal domestic agenda, hosting lavish dinners and using taxpayer resources to impress highprofile political donors. While this hearing is assertively extensively oh nsibly convenedte for the budget request, you and i and Everybody Knows that the president s wish to completely get our International Affairs budget by a shocking 34 is dead on arrival. I have to say, i am tempted to provide you with a budget request and see how you would actually operate under it. Even if this Budget Hearing were not months after the fact and far too late in the legislative process, let me just say its fundamentally misguided and unsuited for our nations security. Now, i recognize youll take issue with much of what i have said, mr. Secretary, but facts are a stubborn thing. I offered a hand to work with you in areas where we could fill bipartisan support. Venezuela, iran, russia, china. And indeed, im disappointed. But as i look at your tenure in office and at the track record of this administration, instead of making America First among the nations of the world, you have instead relinquished our leadership. That makes america last. Thank you, mr. Chairman. As we proceed, first, let me say, those views are at the views of senator menendez, not those of this chairman or the majority of this committee. We, for the members of this an 11 30 hardhave stop that will give us time for a round of questions and we will take a short break about halfway through. We would stick with what has been longstanding commitment of this committee for civility. When the witnesses ask a question, we are going to give the witness the opportunity to answer that question and not interrupt his answer simply be as he is doing so well at answering the question. And i will enforce that strictly. Secretary pompeo. If i may have a parliamentary inquiry . If were going to have answers that are going to be filibusters, i do not expect that were going to allow that either. Senator menendez, i will run the committee. And i will do it as indicated. We will not interrupt the witness. With that, secretary pompeo. Sec. Pompeo thank you. I have a full statement in the interest of time, i will just read the first third. If you could put the rest to the record, i would appreciate that. Thank you very much. Today, im here to present and testify about the 2021 budget. It requests nearly 41 billion for the state department and usaid. To increase the development of democratic societies. And critically, it reflects a commitment to the strategic use of resources to provide better results for the American People. Thats the top line analysis. But i want to make a broader point, that our diplomatic expenditures reflect American Values. Two weeks ago in philadelphia, i unveiled their report of the state departments commission on inalienable rights. My message today was simple. The Trump Administration places are founding principles at the core of american diplomacy. I want to talk about how we have done that in three areas. First, in securing the American Peoples freedoms against authoritarian threats, securing lives during the pandemic, and helping friends secure those very unalienable rights. On authoritarian threats, we have evaluated the world with the same realism that the american founders did. We see the Islamic Republic of iran for what it is, an aggressor, not a victim. Weve gone full bore on our maximum pressure campaign. We rallied nations to our side for diplomacy. And weve bolstered our military readiness, visavis iran. The Security Council must renew the u. N. Arms embargo it expires on october 18. Iran launches missiles at saudi oil facilities. Should the Security Council fail to act, iran will have a freer hand to sew destruction around the world. Russia, too, is a destabilizing force. In ukraine, in libya, interior, and inside of western democracy. This administration has acted to protect their interests and our friends. We have issued the crimea declaration. We supplied ukraine with military hardware. We sanctioned more than 360 russian targets for everything from human rights abuses to supporting the murderous assad regime to operating mercenaries around the world. And the state departments request for the Global Engagement center is 138 million, more than current estoppel level. We will not tolerate misinformation from the kremlin nor any of our adversaries. Two weeks ago, the state department removed nordstreams restriction. This halted construction of the pipeline. We are the toughest administration ever on russia. Most importantly, on china, we see the Chinese Communist party also for what it is, the central threat of our times. Our vigorous diplomacy has led to an international awakening. Senators, the tide is turning. 30 plus countries have banned on trusted vendors from their networks. One we talked about this a year ago, the number was in the single digits. In our hemisphere, canada has spoken out against chinese hostagetaking. Its three Major Telecom carriers have also banned them. Denmark has rejected their attempted censorship of danish newspapers. Sweden has closed its confucius institutes. Lithuanian Intelligence Services identify china as a threat. For the first time. In the indo pacific, australia declared chinas South China Sea claims unlawful and illegitimate, as have we. And were proud to step up maritime maneuvers in that part of the world. India has banned 106 chinese applications that threatened privacy and security. Our diplomatic effort is working at mitigating the threats the Chinese Communist party presents. All 10 nations have said the South China Sea must be settled on international norms. Japan led the g7s condemnation of chinas National Security law targeting hong kong. The eu condemned the law too and declared china a systemic rival. We have agreed to start a dialogue focused totally on china at the eus request. In nato, they have called to make china a greater focus on that part, as well. We let a multilateral effort to make sure intellectual property rights. In our quad, these nations have been reinvigorated. Weve worked hard at this. Our diplomats have done wonderful work. Im very proud of the progress were making. In addition to these multilateral efforts, we sanctioned chinese leaders for their brutality and exposed export controls on companies that supported it. We warned u. S. Businesses against using slave labor in their supply chain. We terminated special agreements with hong kong in response to ccps actions to deny freedom to the people of hong kong. And we closed our consulate in houston because it was a den of spies. Our budget reflects this effort and the reality on the ground. We requested nearly 1. 5 billion to the indo pacific region, it when he percent increase from the 2020 request. We want that part of the world to be prosperous. I will close and im happy to take questions. Thank you, mr. Secretary. I appreciate that. We will do questioning on a seniority basis since it is secretary at cabinet level as opposed to the usual firstcome rule. And again, id ask each member to be respectful of other members and stick to the five minutes youre allotted. Once weve gone around, well make a determination of where we will go from there. Sen. Menendez mr. Chairman, i see seven minutes on the clock. Is that what its going to be . Lets do seven. Thatll just about take up the time. Well have to stick to that. Sen. Menendez Vladimir Putins investment in donald trump prior to the 2016 election continues to pay off handsomely. Withdrawing troops from germany is not about germany. Troops in germany is about our own National Security interest. Redirecting funds from the European Deterrence Initiative thats initiative, as you well know, do deter russia to pay for the president s ineffective border wall. And refusing to follow the law and impose meaningful sanctions. But perhaps most shocking, while we have all known for some time that russia has abided support supplied support to the taliban, both arms and resources, imposing bounties on the heads of u. S. Service members is an outrageous escalation. President trump astonishingly admitted in an interview on tuesday that hes never raised the issue with mr. Putin, even though hes spoken to him about seven times this year alone. Mr. Secretary, do you consider how you would react to such behavior from a democratic president if you were sitting in your old house seat . Would you be ok with a president who abandoned our troops without even raising this with the kremlin . Sec. Pompeo mr. Chairman, youve identified four items youre concerned about. Id like to address each of them. Sen. Menendez i only asked one question. Sec. Pompeo i dont spend much time thinking about what i wouldve done. Im focused on my job. Sen. Menendez ok, let me ask you this. Have you raised concerns with russia and its foreign minister with respect to russia reportedly placing bounties on the heads of Service Members in afghanistan .