Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Trump tried multiple times to cut foreign aid destined for fighting corruption in Ukraine.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/23/politics/trump-administration-cutting-anti-corruption-ukraine/index.htmlThe Trump administration has tried multiple times to cut billions from foreign aid programs aimed at fighting corruption in Ukraine and other countries, despite President Donald Trump's oft-repeated claim that fighting corruption in Ukraine is a top issue for his administration, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The Post, citing White House budget documents, noted that the administration tried to cut a $30 million allocation to Ukraine for a program intended to support the country's anti-corruption bureau to $13 million, an attempt that was rejected by Congress. The paper said that in its 2020 budget request, which was released in March, the White House again suggested allocating $13 million to Ukraine for the program, but that "Congress seems likely to once again reject the proposed cut." The paper notes that lawmakers have yet to agree on a budget for this fiscal year.
The White House also "sought to streamline a number of overseas democracy assistance and foreign aid accounts under one larger umbrella," hoping that by doing so, they would save more than $2 billion, according to the Post. The fund is also aimed at combating corruption in foreign countries, and in 2018, spending for Ukraine from the fund was $250 million. The "White House has asked for $145 million in 2020 under the new iteration of the program," the Post said.
The attempts to cut the funding are at odds with the arguments the administration and the President have given for why Trump withheld hundreds of millions in military aid to Ukraine.
The Post, citing White House budget documents, noted that the administration tried to cut a $30 million allocation to Ukraine for a program intended to support the country's anti-corruption bureau to $13 million, an attempt that was rejected by Congress. The paper said that in its 2020 budget request, which was released in March, the White House again suggested allocating $13 million to Ukraine for the program, but that "Congress seems likely to once again reject the proposed cut." The paper notes that lawmakers have yet to agree on a budget for this fiscal year.
The White House also "sought to streamline a number of overseas democracy assistance and foreign aid accounts under one larger umbrella," hoping that by doing so, they would save more than $2 billion, according to the Post. The fund is also aimed at combating corruption in foreign countries, and in 2018, spending for Ukraine from the fund was $250 million. The "White House has asked for $145 million in 2020 under the new iteration of the program," the Post said.
The attempts to cut the funding are at odds with the arguments the administration and the President have given for why Trump withheld hundreds of millions in military aid to Ukraine.
Trump was so concerned about fighting corruption that he was scaling down anti-corruption efforts.
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
