Devex: Trump budget thrusts U.S. foreign aid into a political fight
“…For more than a decade, U.S. engagement in global development efforts has stood as a rare exception to Washington’s constant partisan warfare, with both Democrats and Republicans tending to agree that relatively small investments in developing countries benefit U.S. national security and project American values. The Trump administration’s proposal to slash foreign aid spending by a third marks a distinct turn toward a more politically charged environment for these programs than has been seen in a long time, many in the development community agreed…” (Igoe et al., 5/24).

Devex: U.S. budget chief explains deep foreign aid cuts
“…[B]udget director Mick Mulvaney offered some insight into why the Trump administration sees fit to slash foreign aid spending. Speaking generally about programs slated for cutbacks, Mulvaney told reporters Monday that the White House is particularly skeptical of programs it feels haven’t sufficiently demonstrated a positive impact, as well as programs the U.S. Congress has not authorized with legislation…” (Igoe, 5/23).

Financial Times: State department funding to take a hit from Trump cuts
“The Trump administration plans to slash funding for the State Department, as it steers U.S. foreign policy from diplomacy towards military might and defeating Islamist terrorism. Rex Tillerson, secretary of state, said the 2018 budget, which plans spending cuts of 32 percent for diplomacy and overseas aid, ‘acknowledges that U.S. diplomacy engagement and aid programs must be more efficient and more effective’…” (Manson/Sevastopulo, 5/23).

The Hill: Trump budget makes heavy cuts to science research
“President Trump’s fiscal 2018 budget unveiled Tuesday proposes massive cuts for the National Science Foundation. … Mick Mulvaney, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, defended the proposal, accusing the foundation of wasteful spending…” (Breland, 5/23).

Nature: Trump budget would slash science programs across government
“U.S. President Donald Trump released a revised budget plan on 23 May that would cut science programs across the federal government in 2018. Biomedical, public health, and environmental research would all be pared back. Those cuts, along with deep reductions in programs for the poor, are balanced by a proposed 10 percent increase in military spending…” (Reardon et al., 5/23).

New York Times: Cuts to AIDS Treatment Programs Could Cost a Million Lives
“At least one million people will die in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, researchers and advocates said on Tuesday, if funding cuts proposed by the Trump administration to global public health programs are enacted. The United States currently spends more than $6 billion annually on programs that buy antiretroviral drugs for about 11.5 million people worldwide who are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The Trump administration has proposed slashing those programs by at least $1.1 billion — nearly a fifth of their current funding, said Jen Kates, a vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation…” (Harris, 5/23).

NPR: Medical Research, Health Care Face Deep Cuts In Trump Budget
“…No one thinks the president’s budget will pass as proposed, since Congress has budget and spending authority. But it does provide a baseline from which negotiations may begin…” (Kodjak/Stein, 5/23).

Reuters: Trump budget proposal slashes global health, peacekeeping
“The Trump administration’s budget proposal would significantly cut U.S. funding for global health programs, food aid, international peacekeeping, educational and cultural exchanges, and climate change programs, according to budget documents released on Tuesday…” (Torbati, 5/23).

Reuters: Republicans push back against Trump plan to cut foreign aid
“U.S. President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress on Tuesday assailed his proposed cuts in the diplomatic and foreign aid budget, making it unlikely the cutbacks in global health, peacekeeping, and other programs will take effect…” (Torbati et al., 5/23).

ScienceInsider: What’s in Trump’s 2018 budget request for science?
“…As in the ‘skinny’ budget released earlier, the full NIH budget proposal eliminates the Fogarty International Center, which has a $72 million budget this year. But $25 million would be set aside for other institutes to fund some of the center’s global health research and training…” (5/23).

STAT: HIV programs, mental health: 8 ways Trump’s new budget might affect public health
“…The budget outline released by the White House Tuesday contains sharp cuts to everything — from a … reduction in global health funding that includes HIV programming to grass-roots community health grants. And while it’s not clear what cuts will survive the congressional budget process, the proposal reveals a White House that, for the most part, wants a leaner public health system, and less American money used overseas…” (Facher, 5/24).

Washington Post: Trump budget seeks huge cuts to science and medical research, disease prevention
“President Trump’s 2018 budget request, delivered to Congress on Tuesday with the title ‘A New Foundation for American Greatness,’ has roiled the medical and science community with a call for massive cuts in spending on scientific research, medical research, disease prevention programs, and health insurance for children of the working poor…” (Achenbach/Sun, 5/23).

Washington Post: Foreign aid under the ax in State Department budget proposal
“The White House is proposing a State Department budget that would make deep cuts in long-term development aid, humanitarian food assistance, and peacekeeping missions around the world. … The Trump administration’s proposed reductions include health programs that fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and polio. The plan would eliminate an emergency food aid program that purchases food from U.S. farmers. It would continue funding for NATO but cut contributions to U.N. peacekeeping by more than half … State Department officials said that despite the cuts, the United States would remain a leading donor to humanitarian and health needs…” (Morello, 5/23).

Washington Post: Lindsey Graham: Trump’s State Department budget could cause ‘a lot of Benghazis’
“The Trump administration’s fiscal 2018 State Department budget proposal irresponsibly cuts diplomacy and diplomatic security in a way that could cause ‘a lot of Benghazis,’ according to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee on the State Department and foreign operations. He promised that Congress would reject the cuts…” (Rogin, 5/23).