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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Michael Lawler delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled, “Streamlined and Rightsized: Consolidating State Department Administrative Services.” 

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-Remarks- 

Good morning, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today.

The last time Congress passed a comprehensive authorization of the State Department was in 2002— over twenty years ago. Since then, it has become common practice to reauthorize State Department programs within our legislative vehicles, resulting in a complete lack of transparency on the process and a lack of oversight on what is really going on within the Department.

Well, we’re trying something new this year. Over the next few months, this committee will be using a microscope to examine the efficacy of the State Department and pass the first authorization in over two decades. This will allow Congress to exercise its constitutional oversight duties and ensure that executive agencies are being good stewards of U.S. taxpayer dollars—making sure every dollar and every diplomat is working in alignment with American foreign policy and its interests.

My subcommittee has jurisdiction over the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Bureau, the Counterterrorism Bureau, and the State Department’s Bureau of Management. This hearing—the first one of the subcommittee—focuses on M Branch, and more specifically, the Bureau of Administration within M Branch. I cannot think of a more appropriate place to begin.

Simply put, the State Department would not be able to execute U.S. foreign policy missions without this vital administrative work. The administrative side of M Branch is responsible for the State Department’s entire acquisitions, procurement, and logistics services. It oversees real property management for the Department, and even the Department’s library and knowledge management systems.

Given the significance of these responsibilities, the Bureau of Administration should execute its role with precision, prioritizing efficiency and effectiveness in its service delivery.

However, that standard has not been upheld in its entirety. The Bureau of Administration has faced significant challenges—from personnel attrition, to long delays in standing up systems, to poor management. And when the State Department’s administrative services fail, so too does the State Department’s ability to carry out the critical work of securing American interests and priorities abroad.

That is why we are here today: to gather more information on these shortcomings and explore how Congress can help.

I think it’s also important to point out the role that A Branch has in advancing efforts to improve cost-effectiveness and bring accountability to government spending. This bureau can be a force for good—if we do the job right.

The State Department allocates approximately $11 billion to $13 billion annually on contracts for goods and services, with the majority of expenditures occurring at the Washington level. As the nexus for the Department’s acquisitions and procurement, the Bureau of Administration is uniquely positioned to advance new policies promoting cost-effectiveness and reform. From re-evaluating contracting procedures and policies to ensuring we have the appropriate personnel in place to procure and oversee the acquisition of goods and services for the Department, this subcommittee will examine every legislative avenue to ensure sharp and streamlined State Department spending procedures.

I’m confident this hearing will bring the subcommittee more clarity on the challenges faced by the Bureau of Administration’s work and really where Congress can come in, work together in a bipartisan way, and make government more efficient for the American people.

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