Trump cancels $9 billion in foreign aid, public broadcasting
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has signed a bill canceling $9 billion in funding previously allocated for foreign aid and public broadcasting support, according to CBS News and Opb.org.
White House spokesman Harrison Fields stated on Thursday that the package was officially signed.
This marks the first time in decades that Congress has approved a president’s request to withdraw previously approved budget appropriations.
Most of the withdrawn funds were allocated for foreign aid programs. About $1.1 billion was designated for the Public Broadcasting Corporation, which funds NPR and PBS. Although the majority of this money is distributed among more than 1,500 local public radio and TV stations across the country.
The White House called this law a test case for Congress and stated that similar funding cancellation packages will follow in the future.
The Trump administration also claimed that the public broadcasting system is politically biased and carries an excessive financial burden.
Conservatives particularly criticized NPR and PBS. However, lawmakers representing large rural districts expressed serious concern about how cuts to public broadcasting funding might affect local stations in their states. According to them, some of these stations may be forced to shut down.
Regarding the cut to foreign aid, the White House stated that this move would encourage other countries to take a more active role in responding to humanitarian crises and that withdrawing funds best serves the interests of American taxpayers.
However, Democrats argue that the Republican administration’s hostility toward foreign aid programs will damage the international reputation of the US and create a vacuum that China could fill.
They also expressed concerns that these cuts could have fatal consequences for the world’s poorest populations.
Notably, the final version of the bill removed a proposed $400 million cut initially planned for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to appease critics.
The Trump administration promised to find alternative funding sources to support rural broadcasters in order to gain additional backing.
Meanwhile, Republican representatives stated that this package is the first of several aimed at reclaiming funds they label as waste, fraud, and abuse.
Trump’s controversial decisions
The administration of Donald Trump has been actively cutting funding to various government agencies and programs.
Notably, immediately after taking office, Trump withdrew the US from the World Health Organization (WHO).
He also effectively ended the operations of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), transferring its functions to the State Department.
Recently, Trump again pulled the US out of UNESCO.
