President Trump; Pentagon entrance at night
Trump team planning deep cuts in foreign aid
The Trump administration will propose "fairly dramatic reductions" in US foreign aid, the White House budget director confirmed on Saturday.
Published: March 5, 2017, 9:55 am
Reuters reported that the US administration plans to propose deep cuts in the budgets to Congress, up to a third for the State Department and Agency for International Development.
“We are going to propose to reduce foreign aid and we are going to propose to spend that money here,” budget director Mick Mulvaney told Fox News on Saturday, including “fairly dramatic reductions in foreign aid”.
America spends $600 billion or more each year on the Pentagon. while only just over $50 billion annually on the State Department and USAID. President Trump called the defense hike a sign of “American strength, security and resolve” and has downplayed foreign aid’s benefits.
Mulvaney said the Trump administration will release its budget proposal on March 16. Reuters reported earlier that the administration is planning significant cuts in domestic programs too.
The State Department, Environmental Protection Agency as well as safety net programs are expected to take the biggest hits in the budget. Trump might propose a 24 percent cut to the EPA’s budget.
Mulvaney said the cuts in foreign aid would help towards a proposed $54 billion expansion of the US military budget. “The overriding message is fairly straightforward: less money spent overseas means more money spent here,” said Mulvaney.
But global interventionist Republicans are furious about the planned cuts to the State Department. Tom Cole, a Republican House appropriator, supports Trump’s Pentagon budget hike but called cutting from the State Department “counterproductive”.
Cole said foreign aid has helped support military operations in the Middle East. “People seem to think foreign aid is charity. It’s not,” Cole said. “It’s given largely in the interest of the United States.”
Lawmakers from both parties fear a sharp reduction in State Department funding could increase difficulties for American diplomats and foreign service officers.
According to a government website, some 20 government agencies plan to award $36.5 billion in foreign assistance programs in more than 100 countries.
Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, tweeted that the money was not charity, but “critical” to US national security.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Bannon Predicts Third Term for Trump
The US, already navigating turbulent waters, may be facing some interesting domestic political developments.
U.S. Nuclear Submarine Maneuvers Escalate Global Tensions
Social media flame wars are leading us to a nuclear exchange.
Ohio disaster: When hedge funds manage rail traffic
East PalestineAfter the derailment of a freight train loaded with highly toxic chemicals in the US state of Ohio, a devastating environmental catastrophe may now be imminent. The wagons burned for days, and a "controlled" explosion by the authorities released dangerous gases into the environment.
US President Biden orders ‘spy’ balloon to be shot down
WashingtonThe US President gave the order to shoot down China's "spy balloon". The balloon had caused US Secretary of State Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing. In the meantime, a second balloon was sighted.
US is heading for a financial ‘catastrophe’ US Treasury Secretary warns
WashingtonOn January 19, 2023, the United States hit its debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion. The country faces a recession if it defaults on its debt, the US Treasury Secretary warned in an interview. Her warning underscored the danger of printing money.
Gun violence: More risk in Chicago and Philadelphia than Iraq, Afghanistan
Providence, Rhode IslandA striking statistic: young Americans are several times more likely to be injured by a gun in cities like Chicago and Philadelphia than they are while serving as a soldier in a foreign country.
Elon Musk, the first person in history to destroy $200 billion in a year
Never before in human history has a person lost as much money in one year as Elon Musk did in 2022. The Tesla and Twitter boss lost $200 billion last year. However, with his remaining $137 billion, he is still the second richest person in the world.
Extreme cold and winter storms sweep across US
More than a million households without electricity, thousands of canceled flights, temperatures in the double-digit minus range and already 41 fatalities: The US is being overwhelmed by an enormous cold wave.
No comments.
By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.