Daily Signal: Panic Over Foreign Aid Budget Could Use Some Perspective
Brett D. Schaefer, Jay Kingham fellow in international regulatory affairs at the Heritage Foundation, and James M. Roberts, research fellow in freedom and growth at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for International Trade and Economics

“…If authentic, the leaked [State Department and USAID FY18 budget] document [obtained by Foreign Policy] signals that the Trump administration values flexibility in U.S. assistance and an intent to use it to support a broader array of U.S. foreign policy priorities with State exerting greater influence over allocations of U.S. assistance. … We don’t yet know the specifics, but it is clear that the Trump administration wants to pursue substantial reform of the State Department and America’s foreign assistance programs. Instead of rejecting it out of hand, Congress should embrace the chance before it. … The Trump administration’s budget could induce a long overdue collaborative effort between Congress and the executive to evaluate and fundamentally reform America’s foreign assistance programs in a way that maximizes impact, ensures American taxpayer dollars are well used, and supports American interests” (4/28).