Eight former Secretaries of State wrote Congress yesterday to urge support for the President’s $58.5 billion FY 2011 international affairs budget request, Politico and Foreign Policy both report. The letter, organized by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) and signed by a bi-partisan group of six Republicans and two Democrats, comes on the heels of the Senate budget committee’s proposed seven per cent cut of the international affairs budget request last week.

"Increasing the investment in our civilian international capabilities will keep America safer by, among other things, addressing the root causes of terrorism and extremism, supporting key allies, and demonstrating America’s proud tradition of global leadership,” the eight secretaries wrote in their letter. “This is why we join Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and national security and foreign policy experts from across the political spectrum to support an increase in the International Affairs Budget.”

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also released statements in response to the Budget Committee’s decision and in support of full funding for the international affairs budget. As Sen. Kerry said:

The international affairs account is a smart, cost-effective investment that should be funded appropriately. Short-changing these programs delivers very little budget relief at enormous cost to our global efforts and America’s leadership in the world.

Rep. Berman shared a similar sentiment:

The notion that this budget would have no impact on our national security funding is simply misleading…diplomacy and development are essential components to our national security strategy.

As Roll Call reports, however, neither the Senate nor the House has yet committed to actually passing a budget this year, and “there’s no guarantee the two chambers will be able to work out a joint budget resolution down the road.” In fact, as Politico reported earlier this month, there is speculation that Congressional leaders may try to skip passing a budget resolution altogether as a way to avoid “political unpleasantness” in an election year.

[As Politico explains: “Congress has failed to adopt a final budget resolution four times in the past 35 years — for FY 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007… Congress doesn’t need a budget to tax or spend, but enforcing discipline is harder without one.”]