poorer and rural households. (10) Before the COVID–19 pandemic, refugee children were twice as likely to be out of school as other youth, and school closures and a lack of access to distance learning tools threaten to make the education gap among refugee children even more severe. (11) The economic downturn caused by the COVID–19 pandemic could lead to an education financing gap of $77,000,000,000 in low- and middle-income countries over the next two years. (12) The economic cost of school closures could be up to $1,337 per student, which on a global scale equates to approximately $10,000,000,000,000 in lost economic output over the coming generation. 3. Statement of policy It is the policy of the United States that United States-funded basic education programs operating in foreign countries should— (1) provide inclusive learning opportunities for students and teachers, especially for the most marginalized, including girls and children with disabilities