USA TODAY: State Department cuts risk lives: Our view
Editorial Board

“In his budget proposal, which would gut any number of agencies to pay for massive military increases, President Trump repeats a mantra about achieving security for the American people. ‘Without safety, there can be no prosperity,’ he says. True enough, but the administration’s spending plan fails to recognize that safety comes from both military ‘hard power’ and diplomatic ‘soft power.’ As a result, it is profoundly shortsighted. … Trump’s cuts would slash assistance by the U.S. Agency for International Development, relief funding through the United Nations, and Treasury investment programs aimed at stabilizing global hot spots and expanding markets for American businesses. … Some State Department programs could undoubtedly be run more efficiently, but it’s disappointing that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson didn’t push back harder against the magnitude of the cuts targeting his department. As more than 120 retired admirals and generals argued in a letter to Congress last month, ‘Elevating and strengthening diplomacy and development alongside defense are critical to keeping America safe.’ For a president who never served in the military, and who likes to say he’ll listen to the generals, that’s advice worth taking to heart” (3/30).