Díaz-Balart’s FY 2026 NSRP Bill Strengthens National Security, Slashes Waste

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs, issued the following statement after the release of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs appropriations bill.

“Today, I am pleased to release the FY 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) bill, which builds upon prior achievements and advances President Trump’s America First foreign policy, delivering a 22 percent reduction in funding compared to FY 2025 enacted levels while further strengthening the national security of the United States.

"As Chairman of this Subcommittee, I have continued to prioritize advancing U.S. national security interests while cutting the wasteful spending that characterized the previous administration. The FY 2024 and FY 2025 House NSRP bills cut funding in the double digits. The FY 2024 bill, which is law, achieved the largest cut of all 12 appropriations bills, with a 6 percent reduction compared to the previous year. 

"I am proud of these efforts to strategically realign our resources to serve the American people and meet our national security requirements while dramatically spending less taxpayer money, and we continued this effort in FY 2026.

"Over the past four years, the Biden Administration pursued an extreme agenda across the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, pressuring our allies and appeasing our enemies, while wasting billions of taxpayer dollars. I consistently warned, privately and publicly, including in well-documented hearings with Biden Administration officials, that promoting controversial and divisive programs abroad would not only erode American support for foreign aid but, more importantly, threaten U.S. interests.

"Under Chairman Tom Cole’s leadership, and with the support of my colleagues, we are fulfilling our national security commitments in putting America’s interests first while protecting U.S. taxpayer dollars.”

FISCAL YEAR 2026 NATIONAL SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS BILL

 The National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill provides a total discretionary allocation of $46.218 billion, which is $13.13 billion (22%) below the Fiscal Year 2025 enacted level, $5.5 billion below the House-passed FY25 NSRP bill, and delivers on the America First agenda.

Within the total cuts, the NSRP bill maintains robust funding for our allies like Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Taiwan and counters adversaries like the Communist People’s Republic of China, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and drug cartels, including those designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The bill supports the President’s vision to refocus and realign foreign policy to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous, while ensuring all funds are spent consistent with relevant Executive Orders.

Champions America First Foreign Policy by:

• Redefining foreign assistance to promote self-sufficiency, bolster economic growth and stability, and protect our national security.
• Creating the America First Opportunity Fund to ensure the Secretary of State has the flexibility to quickly respond to unforeseen opportunities to advance the America First foreign policy agenda.
• Requiring consideration of a country’s cooperation on United States priorities such as migration issues, opposing foreign adversaries, burden sharing, and United Nations votes in determining economic assistance allocations.
• Prioritizing United States commercial interests.

Supports the Trump Administration and mandate of the American people by:

• Upholding America First priorities by promoting a foreign policy that supports our allies, counters our adversaries, focuses on economic prosperity and national security, and eliminates contributions to multilateral organizations that are wasteful and antithetical to American values.
• Supporting President Trump’s executive orders to ensure no wasteful spending on DEI or woke programming, climate change mandates, or divisive gender ideologies.
• Allowing only the American flag and other official government flags to be flown over U.S. embassies.
• Prohibiting funds for irresponsible migration, endorsing President Trump’s executive orders on border and migration.
• Encouraging the Secretary of State to consider how countries are cooperating, or not cooperating, with law on migration matters when deciding how to allocate foreign assistance.
• Prioritizing funding and policies to combat the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the United States.

Protects life, supports American values, and enhances our standing in the world by:

• Protecting long-standing pro-life provisions as well as enhancing oversight and transparency over program implementation to ensure American taxpayer dollars will not fund abortions.
• Removing vague references to “gender” and clearly outlines our support for women and girls.
• Supporting religious freedom programs abroad and religious freedom protections for faith-based organizations delivering foreign aid.
• Defending United States sovereignty by prohibiting funds for the Arms Trade Treaty, and protecting the Second Amendment rights of Americans.
• Banning “disinformation” and “misinformation” programs that violate the free speech rights of American citizens.

 Bolsters U.S. national security and border protections by:

• Providing unwavering support for Israel by including no less than $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing Program funds.
• Providing robust assistance to Egypt and Jordan, two key U.S. partners.
• Including $500 million for the Foreign Military Financing Program for Taiwan to strengthen deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and up to $2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for such purpose.
• Fully funding the Countering PRC Influence Fund at $400 million.
• Providing $1.8 billion for United States national security interests in the Indo-Pacific and to counter the PRC’s malign influence.
• Prohibiting funds for the PRC and the Chinese Communist Party – prohibits funds for countries to repay debt owed to China, prohibits support for academic institutions partnering in STEM programs with colleges or universities in China controlled by the PRC or CCP, and prohibits funds for international financial institutions generating loans to the PRC.
• Promoting freedom and security in the Western Hemisphere.

Safeguards American taxpayer dollars and preserves core functions by:

• Prioritizing fiscal sanity and the elimination of waste, fraud, and abuse by strategically investing in partners to help them achieve durable and sustainable goals in the United States national security interest.
• Supporting efforts to reduce duplication, eliminate siloes, and streamline foreign policy under the direction of the Secretary of State to support a nimble and effective Department.
• Eliminating funding for certain unauthorized programs, organizations, or functions.
• Eliminating funding for Biden-era executive orders on climate, gender, DEI, and extraneous or irrelevant programs that diluted the mission of America’s foreign policy.
• Including a new directive to the Secretary of State to establish a strategy for transitioning PEPFAR programs off of United States assistance.
• Consolidating and reducing the number of assistance accounts to facilitate efficient, strategic allocation of funds for programs that support United States national security interests.
• Prioritizing diplomatic engagement to favorably resolve commercial disputes abroad and to promote American business interests overseas.
• Refocusing attention on critical diplomatic functions, such as addressing passport applications and ensuring the safety and security of our embassies.

A summary of the bill is available here.

Bill text is available here.

Click here to watch the Subcommittee Markup.

View the Congressman's Remarks here.

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