Trump budget prioritizes IS fight, support for Israel

WASHINGTON, May 23 (KUNA) -- US President Donald Trump's Fiscal Year 2018 budget for Pentagon, Department of State and US Agency for International Development (USAID) prioritizes fight against so-called Islamic State (IS) but cuts several diplomatic programs including some delivering humanitarian food aid.
On Tuesday, Trump's detailed budget, which also prioritized special forces operation and delivering military assistance to Israel, request to Congress asked for USD 639.1 billion for the Pentagon overall, marking a USD 52 billion increase above the defense budget cap in the Budget and Control Act (BCA) of 2011.
Just under USD 65 billion would be for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO).
The OCO budget provides resources in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS) in Afghanistan, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in Iraq and Syria, as well as other global counterterrorism operations. The funds also go toward US "assurance and deterrence" in Eastern Europe through the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI), the Department of Defense said in a statement.
Trump insisted earlier in the year that he wanted to rebuild the armed forces and increase war fighting readiness, and his budget proposal lists a number of weapons purchases. The largest is an investment in 70 new F-35 aircraft valued at USD 10.3 billion, Pentagon documents showed.
Meanwhile, the State Department budget request was slashed by 29 percent and set at USD 37.6 billion, just under USD six billion of which would be used for "supporting efforts to defeat (IS) and other terrorist organizations," official documents showed.
This includes "work to defeat (IS) in Iraq and Syria, defeat emerging (IS) branches and affiliated terrorist networks, and enhance the stability of partners on the front lines," the State Department said. "It will also support stabilization in areas where (IS) and other groups have been uprooted, and stop (IS's) global reach in cyberspace." The budget proposal for the department also noted "robust support for Israel" at USD 3.1 billion, as part of a larger US national security initiative.
Several humanitarian assistance projects led by USAID, however, were redirected or slashed. "The budget proposes to reduce or end direct funding for international programs and organizations whose missions do not substantially advance US foreign policy interests," the Trump Administration explained in Tuesday's documents.
"The budget also renews attention on the appropriate US share of international spending at the United Nations, at the World Bank, and for many other global issues where the United States currently pays more than its fair share.
In addition, this budget request focuses on making the Department of State and USAID leaner, more efficient, and more effective, and streamlines international affairs agencies more broadly." Only USD 5.3 billion was proposed Tuesday for humanitarian aid programs. (end) ys.bs