Trump’s Budget Plan To Cut 28 Percent Of Foreign Aid

President Donald Trump has made public his budget proposal, and enveloped in his plan is a measure to levy a 28 percent cut from spending towards the United Nations, climate change, and cultural exchange programs.

Trump’s “America First” budget plan proposes total cuts to the federal budget comprising $50 billion, a share that would be drawn from the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development, collectively.

Specifically, America First aims to shave off a significant share of US funding from the United Nations and affiliated agencies in order to set “the expectation that these organizations rein in costs and that the funding burden be shared more fairly among members.”

The cut in foreign aid spending coincides with a $54 billion increase in spending on defense, according to Politico.

Such deductions would go towards a myriad of causes, including “Overseas Contingency Operations,” or, a $12 billion write-off bookmarked for conflict areas such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

The plan still maintains an allotment of $3.1 billion for assistance “to meet the security assistance commitment to Israel […] ensuring that Israel has the ability to defend itself from threats.”

Critics argue that the re-allocation of funds would have negative implications for the United States’ place in a global society.

“The budget would actually make the United States less safe and put a heavier burden on our men and women in uniform,” said Tom Hart, an authority with global advocacy group ONE.

David Miliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee, explained that cutting money from the 1 percent sliver of the federal budget would have far-reaching effects on humanitarian efforts, not to mention hurting US foreign interests.

Bipartisan dissent of the plan has kept many optimistic that Trump’s proposal will not be realized. Others still are confused as to how to channel their dissent in an administration that has not yet sworn in a director for USAID.

“I just think there is not a deep understanding or appreciation of what foreign assistance actually is within the political leadership,” stated USAID.

“There are a lot of people who are really worried, but we don’t exactly know what to expect so people aren’t necessarily making rash decisions.”

Some defendants of America First posit that such a budget cut will force government agencies to reconsider allegedly lavish spending on specific foreign operations.

“The budget is an acknowledgment that development needs are a global challenge to be met not just by contributions from the United States, but through greater partnership with and contributions from our allies and others,” said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in defense of Trump’s proposed budget modifications, according to Reuters.

Sources: Politico, Reuters, The White House/Photo Credit: US Embassy/Flickr