On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY25 State Department budget. Despite an overall 11% cut to the State Department’s funding, humanitarian demining received a $14.7 million uplift from last year - a total of $271.703 million. The proposed bill also protects $80 million for humanitarian demining programs in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, which includes work to clear U.S. explosives left from the Vietnam War.
The report also proposes $2.5 million to clear explosives from the Solomon Islands, as well as support for the other Pacific Islands, Angola (including to facilitate conservation and to support the development of the Lobito Corridor), Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and the Horn of Africa, all places with high need for demining. The report also includes humanitarian support for communities impacted by landmines in Myanmar, which had the highest casualty rates from landmines worldwide in 2023. The report also includes language supporting the implementation of The DELTA Act, focusing on natural resource management in Angola and southern Africa.
Increased funding will allow HALO and other State Department demining partners to continue our lifesaving work, strengthen our response to continuing crises in places such as Ukraine, and promote U.S. diplomacy and cooperation with the Pacific Islands and around the world. As families remain under threat in over 60 countries, HALO is grateful for the continuing support of Congress and the leadership of the United States.
The bill will advance to the House floor, where the entire House of Representatives will vote on it. Read the full bill here and the report, with more specifics,
here.