The Hill News

It’s budget season, and America is tightening its belt. Congress is doing its part by preparing to cut the international affairs budget by close to 20 percent, a move that could undermine national security, defy military leaders’ advice and endanger U.S. interests and core values.

Worst of all, these cuts would be disastrous for women and childrenâ€"the majority of the world’s poor.

International assistance is less than one percent of the total U.S. budget, something most Americans don’t know. When polled, we say it ought to be slashed, because assistance programs are highly visible and an easy target in times of recession. But in reality, slashing international assistance does nothing to fix our huge national budget deficit and will only create more instability in fragile countries. 

Read more...