“H.R. 1, the continuing resolution put forward by the Republicans, cuts East-West Center funding from the current $23 million to $10.7 million. But Republican congressmen [have also] proposed amendments which would eliminate all East-West Center funding,” Faleomavaega said.
“While I agree that we need to cut the federal budget, I do not believe we should carelessly use a machete, a samurai sword or a sledgehammer to discard programs that are necessary to protecting U.S. interests in this region of the world. The East-West Center was established by federal law of the U.S. Congress in 1960. President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Mutual Security Act of 1960 which authorized its creation only after the State Department conducted a study and reported back to Congress about the relevance of establishing the East-West Center.”
He added, “President John F. Kennedy also signed an Act which appropriated additional funding, and every President since, both Republican and Democrat, have done the same. Why? Because the East-West Center promotes a better understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia and the Pacific and this understanding is critical to U.S. economic, political, social, and especially our strategic and military interests.
“The Asia Pacific region is the world’s most populous region where more than 4 billion people, or more than 60 percent of the world’s current human population, live. Two of the three largest economies in the world are in the Asia Pacific region, and our own economic interests in this region are critical to our success.”
