28th July 2022

7/28/2022 | Senate State and Foreign Operations and Defense Appropriations subcommittees include additional funds for demining programs in budget drafts 

On Thursday, July 28, the Senate State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) and Defense Appropriations subcommittees released their draft FY23 budgets.

 The SFOPS draft budget allocates $268m for global demining, a nearly $14m increase from last year’s allocation. This is also a slightly higher figure than put forward by House earlier this year, which recommended $265m for global demining programs.

The Defense budget draft recommends $19m for humanitarian demining research and development efforts managed by the U.S. Army, representing $10m more than the planned allocations by the Administration, and matching last year’s allocation.

The SFOPS budget also allocates $2m to demining programs in Nagorno-Karabakh, $5m to demining and conservation programs in the Okavango Delta region of southern Africa, and $73m to demining efforts Southeast Asia. The committee also recommended continued support for life-saving demining and related programs in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Afghanistan, Angola, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and the Pacific Islands.

"HALO would like to thank Senators Coons, Graham, Leahy, Shelby and Tester for their leadership and support of the draft budgets, as well as Senators Baldwin, Van Hollen, and Young for leading appropriations requests to the SFOPS and Defense Appropriations subcommittees."

Kristen Stevens, HALO Head of Congressional Affairs

We would also like to recognize all of the advocates across the country that contacted their Members of Congress in support of increased funds for demining and thank you for your dedication to creating a mine-free world.

Read the State and Foreign Operations Report here and the Defense Report here.