The Case Against Cutting Foreign Aid
As Congress debates President Obama’s FY11 International Affairs Budget request, Foreign Policy asked over the weekend if Americans really want to cut foreign aid. They pointed out Americans dramatically overestimate the amount the United States spends on foreign assistance, looking at a poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes. Americans are always surprised to learn that foreign assistance makes up only 1.4 percent of the federal budget —a far cry from the 25 percent many think.
On the USGLC blog, former Ambassador and Republican Congressman Mark Green makes the case for why more conservatives should support boosting development and diplomacy: “There’s no denying the fiscal challenges that our elected leaders have on their plate, but there’s also no denying how much of a difference our foreign assistance programs are making in key parts of the world.”
