U.S. development assistance is "literally embodying American values," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, adding she will work to get the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) the resources it needs during difficult economic times.

In remarks to USAID employees January 23, Clinton said she had come "with a very simple message: I believe in development, and I believe with all my heart that it truly is an equal partner, along with defense and diplomacy, in the furtherance of America's national security."

The secretary spoke one day after arriving at the State Department and telling employees they are responsible for two of those three elements.

Programs such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) have generated positive attitudes toward the United States and "tangible results that make a difference in people's lives," the secretary said.

"I take this work very personally," Clinton said, recalling how her legal and professional career has included support for women and children's welfare and concern for those in need of help. As first lady during the Clinton administration, "that part was expanded," through her travel to see USAID projects at work around the world.

President Obama's "understanding and commitment to these important human issues runs very deep," she said, adding that the president's late mother had been an expert in microfinance and had worked on projects in Indonesia.

Clinton acknowledged that USAID is being asked "to do more and more with less," but pledged to match its expanding mission with the resources needed to support it.

"It is essential that the role of USAID and our other foreign assistance programs be strengthened and be adequately funded, and be coordinated in a way that makes abundantly clear that the United States understands and supports development assistance," she said.

Clinton praised USAID employees for their willingness to work in difficult and dangerous environments, but said they also need to tell Americans who are worried about the U.S. economy and its spending priorities about the importance of development assistance.

"If you don't know somebody who's lost their job yet, you will," she said. "You've got to be able to make the case that what you do for America is important even in these tough times."

For additional information, see a transcript of Clinton's remarks.