U.S. Congress Should Increase State Department’s Budget Not Cut It

New York Times: Ignoring Diplomacy’s Past and Its Future Promise
Editorial Board

“…The State Department and foreign aid have long been targets for budget cutters because many Americans don’t understand what these programs do. Polls show that Americans overestimate how much federal spending goes to these programs. The actual number for foreign aid is about one percent of the budget … [Through foreign aid investments,] American interests are also advanced by helping other countries become more stable. A health program begun by President George W. Bush helped check the spread of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and then was used to stop an Ebola epidemic in West Africa during the Obama administration. … None of this is to say the State Department cannot be made more efficient. Tax dollars should be spent wisely. But rather than slashing the department’s budget, … Mr. Trump should be urging Congress to increase it…” (3/29).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.