WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) said Tuesday he is “very concerned” by reports that President Donald Trump plans to propose budget cuts to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“I am very concerned by reports of deep cuts that could damage efforts to combat terrorism, save lives, and create opportunities for American workers,” Royce said in a statement. “The committee will thoroughly review the administration’s foreign affairs budget request when it’s made available to Congress.”
The State Department and USAID have a combined budget of just over $50 billion.
The Trump administration’s proposed 37% cut to the State Department budget came from the White House Office of Management and Budget, according to Bloomberg Politics.
In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News Washington Political Editor Matt Boyle, President Trump stated, “I want to increase our military spending significantly. We have to. Our military is depleted. Our equipment is old and tired and we’re going to have the finest military that the United States has ever had by far.”
“President Donald Trump is developing a federal budget that officials said would add more than $50 billion to the base defense budget,” reported the Wall Street Journal. “The increase would be made possible by significant cuts elsewhere, officials said on Monday, particularly to the State Department and its foreign aid division.”
The Journal added, “People familiar with the deliberations said the Trump administration is examining the growth in spending by the State Department during the Obama administration, including that caused by the addition of special envoys, though they said that would not cover the proposed cuts. One U.S. official said that the State Department is looking at development assistance to other countries as a significant source for the cuts.”
Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) reportedly declared President Trump’s budget proposal would be “dead on arrival” because of the State Department cuts.
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