In a recent Politico article, retired Admiral Mike Mullen and retired General James Jones make a case for global engagement and international aid, urging Congress not to accept the Trump administration’s proposed FY2018 budget, specifically the 32% cut to the Department of State and USAID accounts. They warn:
During this week’s House State-Foreign Operations (SFOPS) Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on the administration’s FY2018 budget request for the Department of State, Pennsylvania Congressman Charlie Dent (R) voiced his strong support for educational and cultural exchange programs and expressed concern about the 55% cut to exchange program funding proposed by the Trump administration for FY2018.
Educational and cultural exchange programs were mentioned twice during a hearing of the Senate State-Foreign Operations (SFOPS) Appropriations Subcommittee this week. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appeared before the committee to review the administration’s FY2018 budget request for the U.S. Department of State.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell recently condemned severe funding cuts to the Department of State laid out in the Trump administration’s FY2018 Budget request, making a strong case for America’s need to stay engaged with and lead in the world.
The Trump administration’s proposed FY2018 budget, released on May 23, includes a 55% cut to Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs compared to the $634 million funding level provided in the FY2017 omnibus bill that was passed and signed into law earlier this month. The administration’s budget would fund exchange programs at $285 million [refer to pp. 770-771 of the Appendix for exchanges].
In light of the sharp cuts to the International Affairs budget recently proposed by the Trump administration, former President George W. Bush in an interview with NPR argued for continued foreign aid funding as well as citizenship pathways for undocumented immigrants. Similarly, U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, pushed back against proposed funding cuts to humanitarian assistance programs, according to the Associated Press.