The President Donald Trump administration has reportedly concluded plans to cut more than $4 billion in foreign aid spending, including the United Nations peacekeeping funds.
According to CNN, the US government believes the plan, which is expected to be made public next week, will decrease “wasteful spending” and make foreign aid more conditional on support for US policies.
The move to cancel funds to the State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID) is said to have begun in 2018, but suspended after public condemnation.
Foreign policy experts had spoken publicly against the controversial move, saying it might hurt US foreign policy priorities.
Some Republican and Democratic lawmakers have also rejected the rescission package, saying it would inject more chaos into the country’s foreign policy and create hardships on some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
Under normal circumstance, the white house is expected to submit the request to the congress, who has 45 days to review, accept, or reject the proposal. During those 45 days, the funds in question are frozen.
But government officials argued that the white house has the authority to cancel the funds without congressional approval.
The officials said the plan will affect the United Nations peacekeeping funds, funding for the northern triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, and cultural programs.
Reacting to the proposed cut, Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator, said the fund cancellation may undermine national security.
“Not only do these cuts have the potential to undermine significant national security and anti-terrorism efforts of our diplomats and international partners overseas, but we fear such a rescission package could complicate the ability of the Administration and Congress to work constructively on future appropriations deals,” he said. (The Cable)
