Israel First: Military aid untouched in Trump's 2018 budget
Israel First: Military aid untouched in Trump's 2018 budget
Israel will continue to receive $3.1 billion annually as Trump reduces spending on the environment, state department, and the UN while threatening to cut aid to other recipients.
3 min read
The US has provided a total of $127.4 billion in bilateral assistance to Israel [AFP]
Israel is the only country not to be affected by foreign aid cuts as part of the 2018 US budget proposed by the Trump administration.
Spending on the arts, science, foreign aid and environmental protection in the US will be drastically reduced, with dozens of agencies and programmes likely to be scrapped - from public broadcasting to bio science - to pay for $52 billion in new military spending.
The Environmental Protection Agency - which helps enforce air, water and other standards - and the State Department would be the biggest losers, seeing their funding slashed by around a third.
The latter could bring steep reductions in foreign aid and funding to UN agencies, with knock-on effects around the world.
An alarmed UN warned against "abrupt funding cuts" that would undermine its longer-term reform efforts. |
Trump described the plan as "a budget that puts America first" |  |
Following through with hardline campaign promises, Trump described the plan as "a budget that puts America first" - one that would help the military "win" and "set free" the dreams of Americans.
The budget, if approved, would see a 28 percent cut in the total diplomatic and foreign aid budget.
Yet one area remains untouched: US aid to Israel.
While foreign aid to every other country will likely come under review, the will continue to provide "$3.1 billion to meet the security assistance commitment to Israel, currently at an all-time high; ensuring that Israel has the ability to defend itself from threats and maintain its Qualitative Military Edge."
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Egypt is one of the largest recipients of US aid, estimated at $1.5 billion annually. At present, it is unclear how this aid relationship will change.
Some foreign military assistance will be changed from to reduce costs for the US taxpayer, according to the budget, while allowing recipients "to purchase more American-made weaponry with US assistance, but on a repayable basis." This could be the way aid to countries like Egypt and others in the Middle East is cut.
Diplomats and some former defence officials have already warned that less spending on areas like democracy promotion and humanitarian aid will spell more trouble, and military spending, down the road.
Israel is the cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance since World War II, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The United States has provided a total of $127.4 billion in bilateral assistance to Israel in that time, mostly in the form of military assistance.
Agencies contributed to this report.
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