The Global Demining Protection Act would require the State Department to exempt demining programs from President Trump’s Pause on U.S. Foreign Aid
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Stephen F. Lynch introduced H.R. 1259, the Global Demining Protection Act – legislation to require the Trump Administration to immediately resume demining programs and operations led by the U.S. State Department worldwide. Currently, global demining activities – which serve to clear landmines, munitions, and other explosive devices that have remained from previous conflicts – have been suspended following President Trump’s “pause” on U.S. foreign aid. H.R. 1259 has been endorsed by The HALO Trust – a leading humanitarian organization that partners with the State Department and other non-profit organizations in support of demining.
“The so-called pause on U.S. foreign aid ordered by President Trump has halted critical demining programs across the world and placed regional security and the safety of vulnerable populations and deployed American diplomatic and military personnel at risk,” said Rep. Lynch. “As a member of the House Oversight Committee, I have led multiple bipartisan Congressional Delegations to Lebanon, Gaza, Somalia, Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflict zones where former battlefields are still littered with landmines, munitions, and other explosive devices. The global demining operations administered by the State Department in coordination with HALO Trust and our other non-profit partners are vital to U.S. national security and should immediately resume – as required by this legislation."
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order suspending foreign assistance for at least 90 days. Consistent with the executive order, the State Department announced that Secretary Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID. Moreover, the State Department Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, which has traditionally funded global demining operations, ordered humanitarian demining organizations funded by the State Department to cease operations “effective immediately.”
According to “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” an annual report produced by the State Department on U.S. progress in clearing mines and other unexploded remnants of conflict, demining programs in more than 125 countries have relied on U.S. foreign assistance since 1993. Last year, these programs supported activities in 82 countries – from Ukraine and Iraq to Lebanon and Afghanistan. In FY2023 alone, nearly 35,000 landmines and over 208,000 other explosive hazards were destroyed or cleared worldwide.
In support of U.S. national and international security, the Global Demining Protection Act would require the Secretary of State to issue a waiver under the Trump Executive Order for all demining programs – specifically allowing for the immediate resumption of all State Department “programs, projects, and activities relating to demining, the clearing of unexploded ordnance, and the destruction of small arms.” As previously reported by the State Department, demining and related programs serve to destroy explosive remnants of war and prevent their use by terrorists, criminals, and other non-violent state actors. They also advance U.S. security and global peace and stability by returning land to productive use and promoting security and economic development.
You can view the bill text HERE
Original Cosponsors: Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11); Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-03); Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06); Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02); Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10); Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02); Rep. Deborah K. Ross (NC-02)