The White House Office of Management and Budget on 29/8 released President Donald Trump's letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, announcing the cancellation of $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid for State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID) programs.
According to court documents obtained by AFP, $3.2 billion of the new cuts are for USAID. $838 million is for peacekeeping missions.
"The president always puts America first," the White House Office of Management and Budget emphasized.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the decision, calling it part of an effort to "eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse in government, saving American workers billions of dollars".
However, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said President Trump's move was illegal and could affect budget negotiations in Congress to prevent a government shutdown.
Democrats previously warned that any attempt to rescind congressionally approved funds would derail negotiations on a spending bill expected later this year. If this budget bill is not passed, the US government will have to shut down.
"Clearly neither Mr. Trump nor the Republicans intend to prevent a government shutdown, which would be very painful and completely unnecessary," Mr. Schumer said.
Some moderate Republicans also opposed Mr. Trump's blocking of spending approved by the legislature.
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US President Donald Trump at the White House on 25/8. Photo: AFP |
US President Donald Trump at the White House on 25/8. Photo: AFP
A White House official said the Trump administration had a "strong legal basis" for the move and any court challenge would fail.
Mr. Trump is using a rare legislative tactic of requesting Congress not to disburse approved funds at the end of the fiscal year, giving the legislature less than the required 45 days to process the request, ultimately preventing the funds from being spent. The US fiscal year ends on 30/9.
After returning to power in January, President Trump suspended billions of dollars in foreign aid and ordered the closure of USAID. This is the US government's main agency responsible for distributing humanitarian aid globally, with health and emergency relief programs in about 120 countries.
The US has long viewed foreign aid as an important tool in foreign policy. However, President Trump pledged to implement an "America First" policy after taking office, with limiting foreign aid as one measure to achieve that goal.
Pham Giang (According to AFP)
