September 19, 2025

Rep. Sara Jacobs Votes Against State Authorization that Rubber Stamps Rubio’s Reorganization of the State Department, Erodes Diplomacy and Development Tools

Yesterday, Rep. Sara Jacobs voted against the reauthorization of the State Department, which would provide cover for Secretary Rubio’s flawed reorganization and erode the diplomatic and development tools of the State Department.

 

Rep. Sara Jacobs said: “Diplomacy and development initiatives, like those at the State Department and USAID, are some of our most effective tools to keep Americans safe and prosperous. They help prevent conflict that can endanger Americans before it even starts, by addressing the root causes of instability like poverty, corruption, weak governance, and food insecurity that extremists can exploit. They save and improve lives, prevent the spread of deadly diseases, strengthen communities, and open economic markets. All of this is cheaper and more effective than the cost of war. But unfortunately, this bill hollows out the State Department and undermines its capacity and power, while defunding the UN, sunsetting PEPFAR, and more partisan poison pills.

 

“While I’m proud of the provisions I secured to improve strategic planning and require conflict expertise at the State Department and enable more localized foreign assistance, ultimately, I’m disappointed this bill was not the result of an open, transparent, bipartisan process that was promised. With conflicts, humanitarian disasters, and global instability on the rise, it’s never been more important for the U.S. to have the diplomats and development tools in place to focus on ushering in peace and stability. But this bill failed to meet the critical moment we’re in, and I couldn’t in good conscience support it.”

 

Rep. Sara Jacobs secured the following provisions:

  • Institutionalizing strategic planning and long-term thinking at the State Department by requiring a quadrennial National Diplomatic and Development Strategy

  • Establishing a Center for Conflict Analysis, Planning, and Prevention within the State Department

  • Enabling U.S. foreign assistance to be more localized so that more aid gets directly to local communities, improving efficiency and results, through Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Locally-Led Development and Humanitarian Response Act

  • Reauthorizing the Global Fragility Act, including enabling cross-cutting monitoring and evaluation, through Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Global Fragility Reauthorization Act

  • Requiring the Secretary of State to encourage constructive dissent at the State Department

 

Rep. Sara Jacobs also fought for the following provisions, although they weren’t ultimately adopted by the Republican majority:

 

Building capacity at the State Department and Preserving USAID’s History:

  • Requiring State Department training on managing humanitarian assistance and on humanitarian core principles

  • Promoting more expeditionary diplomacy at the State Department

  • Improving the effectiveness of security assistance by streamlining organizational structure, requiring training, establishing a monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework, and requiring a common database of all security assistance and security cooperation, through Rep. Sara Jacobs’ U.S. Security Assistance Effectiveness Act

  • Requiring a report to Congress on the State Department’s plans to ensure adequate acquisition and assistance personnel to manage awards

  • Ensuring the preservation of USAID’s website and thousands of reports saying what it did over its 60-year history

  • Requiring the State Department to allow existing U.S. passport book holders to apply online for a passport card

 

Preventing Corruption and Ensuring Transparency:

  • Preventing the State Department from facilitating a deal between a foreign government or its sovereign wealth fund if it includes a payment or future payment to a business controlled by the President, Vice President, or their immediate family

  • Building on the establishment of the Trafficking in Persons Heroes Award by encouraging Secretary Rubio to award the lawyers of Epstein survivors who have spoken out

 

Ensuring Thoughtful and Values-Driven Engagement on the African Continent:

  • Mandating a report to assess the impact and status of implementation of U.S.-facilitated DRC-Rwanda economic agreements

  • Prohibiting arms sales to countries that arm the RSF and SAF in Sudan

  • Mandating the Secretary of State to provide a report to determine if any U.S.-origin weapons are being used in Sudan

  • Mandating a report from the State Department’s and USAID’s Inspector Generals on the number of deaths resulting from cuts to the bipartisan PEPFAR programs

  • Authorizing assistance for global health systems strengthening

 

Upholding Congress’s War Powers

  • Clarifying that a Foreign Terrorist Organization or Specially Designated Global Terrorist designation does not constitute an authorization for the use of force (AUMF) and that Congress has not issued an AUMF for Mexico

  • Prohibiting any funds authorized in the State Authorization bill from being used to commit war crimes

 

Upholding Human Rights and Accountability in the West Bank and Gaza

  • Mandating a report on the number of American citizens and lawful permanent residents in Gaza and on what actions the Department is taking to ensure they are safe.

  • Mandating a report of all American citizens killed in the West Bank.

  • Mandating a report on U.S. taxpayer dollars being used to fund the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

 

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