REPORT: Trump Proposes 37 Percent Cut to State Department Budget

Ahead of President Donald Trump’s address before a joint session of Congress tonight, the Associated Press is reporting that the Trump administration is proposing steep cuts for diplomacy and foreign aid.

Officials familiar with the proposal say it calls for slashing 37 percent of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development budgets. Development assistance would take the biggest hit. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the spending plan publicly before it is presented to Congress.

The budget for these two agencies last year was $50.1 billion, which represented roughly one percent of the total federal budget. In remarks at the White House yesterday, the president stated that he was looking to expand the military budget by $54 billion and would pay for this by cutting other areas of discretionary spending.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pointed out that he opposes cutting State’s budget, which would likely lead to staff reductions and less security overseas.

Update: McConnell says he opposes slashing the State Department budget, adding that that it wouldn’t pass the Senate.

— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) February 28, 2017

[image via Shutterstock]

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Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona

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