Trump moves to slash foreign aid by another $5-B

TASS, Philippine News Agency

The move follows the Trump administration’s suspension of USAID operations on Feb. 3. (Official White House File Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian; The White House/Facebook)

NEW YORK – The administration of US President Donald Trump intends to reduce foreign aid by another USD5 billion, including funds allocated for Ukraine, media reports said Friday.

Reports said USD3.2 billion of the reductions will come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), with the remainder drawn from other State Department accounts.

Among the targeted funds was USD1.5 million earmarked for promoting Ukrainian women’s art.

The cuts also affect USD24.6 million in climate change programs in Honduras, USD3.9 million for LGBT initiatives in the former Yugoslavia, and USD2.7 million for the South African Democracy Support Fund, which the report said had supported platforms accused of inciting racial division.

In addition, USD838 million previously allocated to United Nations peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic will be withdrawn.

That amount included USD11 million for armored vehicles for Uruguayan forces, USD4 million for a training center in Zambia, and USD3 million for barracks for Kazakh peacekeepers.

The move follows the Trump administration’s suspension of USAID operations on Feb. 3.

On March 10, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, serving as interim head of the agency, announced that 83 percent of USAID programs had been terminated following a review. (TASS)