Associated Press: AP Interview: McConnell rejects Trump’s foreign aid cuts
“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday shot down prospects for major parts of President Donald Trump’s budget, rejecting proposed cuts to foreign aid and medical research. … ‘America being a force is a lot more than building up the Defense Department,’ McConnell said. ‘Diplomacy is important, extremely important, and I don’t think these reductions at the State Department are appropriate because many times diplomacy is a lot more effective — and certainly cheaper — than military engagement’…” (Werner, 3/21).

Devex: Stephen Hadley and Madeline Albright team up to ask Congress not to cut foreign aid
“Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley called on Congress together to convene a national debate about America’s role in the world, warned against isolationism, and rejected deep foreign aid cuts recommended in President Donald Trump’s budget [during a House Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday]…” (Saldinger, 3/22).