Articles

My Turn: Around the world, Ayotte is a force for good (Concord Monitor)


CONCORD MONITOR | Since entering the U.S. Senate in 2011, Sen. Kelly Ayotte has emerged as a leading voice on U.S. national security and foreign policy. Through her service on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Ayotte has established herself as a strong defense hawk, consistently leading efforts to protect national security spending and to call for strong U.S. global engagement.

What is less known is Sen. Ayotte’s equally strong record of support for increased investments in the tools of U.S. soft power. Sen. Ayotte has championed strategic investments in U.S. diplomacy and development programs, and she has been a particularly strong voice in Congress for women and girls around the world.

While many Americans assume that our foreign aid dollars make up a substantial percentage of the U.S. government’s budget and that those dollars are often wasted, this could not be further from the truth. U.S. foreign assistance programs represent less than 1 percent of the federal budget, yet these programs have achieved remarkable results with strong bipartisan backing over the last two decades.

Read more at Concord Monitor: https://www.concordmonitor.com/Ayotte-has-championed-investment-in-diplomacy-and-development-5754730