Fact Check: US slashes foreign aid, calling it wasteful under Trump administration

Fact Check: "US slashes foreign aid, calling it wasteful under Trump administration"

What We Know

During the Trump administration, significant changes were proposed regarding U.S. foreign aid. Reports indicate that the administration sought to cut international spending, with proposals suggesting reductions of up to one-third of the budget for foreign assistance programs (source-1). This move was framed by Trump and his administration as a necessary step to eliminate what they deemed "wasteful spending" in foreign aid programs (source-5).

Despite these proposals, Congress, which historically has shown bipartisan support for foreign aid, largely rejected these cuts. In fact, the appropriations bills during this period received more Democratic than Republican votes, indicating a strong pushback against the proposed reductions (source-1).

Analysis

The claim that the U.S. slashed foreign aid under the Trump administration is partially true. While the administration did propose significant cuts and characterized foreign aid as wasteful, the actual implementation of these cuts was met with considerable resistance from Congress. The bipartisan support for foreign aid suggests that while the rhetoric around wastefulness was prevalent, the practical outcomes did not result in the drastic reductions that were initially proposed (source-1).

Moreover, the characterization of foreign aid as wasteful is contested. Many studies and reports highlight the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid in achieving various global development goals, such as reducing extreme poverty and improving health outcomes (source-1). The credibility of the sources discussing these outcomes, such as the Brookings Institution, lends weight to the argument that foreign aid is not merely wasteful but can produce significant benefits.

On the other hand, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration did indeed gut agencies like U.S.A.I.D. and criticized their work as inefficient, which aligns with the administration's narrative of wastefulness (source-7). This suggests a systematic approach to reducing foreign aid, albeit one that faced significant legislative hurdles.

Conclusion

The verdict on the claim that the U.S. slashed foreign aid under the Trump administration is Partially True. While there were aggressive proposals to cut foreign aid and a narrative of wastefulness was promoted, the actual reductions were limited due to bipartisan opposition in Congress. Thus, while the intent to reduce foreign aid was evident, the execution did not fully align with the claims made.

Fact Check: US slashes foreign aid, calling it wasteful under Trump administration