Amid congressional pressure to cut U.S. foreign aid spending, the Obama administration is bolstering its stance on using overseas aid programs to help advance U.S. national security interests.
House Republicans want to limit U.S. state and foreign operations spending for the rest of fiscal 2011 to USD46.95 billion, which is USD9.7 billion, or 17 percent, less than the budget requested by U.S. President Barack Obama.
>> US House Appropriations Committee Chair Proposes USD9.7B Cut to 2011 Foreign Affairs Budget
Cutting U.S. foreign aid spending now would jeopardize gains in promoting stability in nations like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Iraq, State spokesman Philip Crowley said.
“We have significant national interests associated with our foreign assistance. Cutting off foreign assistance will place the American people at greater risk. It will reduce our ability to shape regional events and solve global challenges,” Crowley said in an e-mail obtained by Devex.
He added: “It is in our national interest to invest resources to shape countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Iraq. The last three major attempted terrorist attacks on the United States had links to Yemen. The solution to Yemen is a political and economic one, not a military one. We are not going to solve the challenge of Middle East peace without foreign assistance. We have spent more than USD500 billion on Iraq. It would be irresponsible to cut assistance now and jeopardize the hard-won gains we have achieved there.”
U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah has also been making the case against a decreased foreign assistance budget, saying aid spending cuts “would have massive negative implications for our fundamental security.”
>> Rajiv Shah Responds to House Republicans: Foreign Aid is Key to National Security
Read more about U.S. development aid.
