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White House scraps plan to seek return of unspent foreign aid
Source: Washington Post
White House scraps plan to seek return of unspent foreign aid
By Josh Dawsey, Carol Morello and John Hudson August 22 at 3:54 PM
The White House has scrapped plans to seek the return to the Treasury of up to $4 billion in unspent foreign aid amid intense pressure from Capitol Hill, according to a senior administration official and others familiar with the decision.
The Office of Management and Budget sent a letter to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development this month, notifying them of a temporary freeze on funds that Congress had already approved and the potential cancellation of billions of dollars in foreign aid.
Senior Republicans and Democrats said the move would undermine Congress’s authority to appropriate funds, but administration officials insisted that they were targeting only projects that are unnecessary or of questionable value.
The OMB letter, reviewed by The Washington Post, listed eight areas that cover a variety of assistance: international organizations; peacekeeping operations and activities; international narcotics control and law enforcement; development aid; assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia; economic support funding; foreign military financing programs; and global health programs.
-snip-
By Josh Dawsey, Carol Morello and John Hudson August 22 at 3:54 PM
The White House has scrapped plans to seek the return to the Treasury of up to $4 billion in unspent foreign aid amid intense pressure from Capitol Hill, according to a senior administration official and others familiar with the decision.
The Office of Management and Budget sent a letter to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development this month, notifying them of a temporary freeze on funds that Congress had already approved and the potential cancellation of billions of dollars in foreign aid.
Senior Republicans and Democrats said the move would undermine Congress’s authority to appropriate funds, but administration officials insisted that they were targeting only projects that are unnecessary or of questionable value.
The OMB letter, reviewed by The Washington Post, listed eight areas that cover a variety of assistance: international organizations; peacekeeping operations and activities; international narcotics control and law enforcement; development aid; assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia; economic support funding; foreign military financing programs; and global health programs.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-scraps-plan-to-seek-return-of-unspent-foreign-aid/2019/08/22/808a1294-c507-11e9-b72f-b31dfaa77212_story.html