The Donald Trump’s administration suggests reducing the budget of the Department of State by 29% in 2018, as said in the draft budget, published on the White House’s website, RIA News reports.
The aggregate budget of the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and international programs of U.S. Department of Treasury amounts to 27.1 billion dollars versus 38 billion dollars in 2017 FY.
The White House did not provide the accurate itemization of the budget of the Department of State. Previously, the representatives of the administration claimed that main reductions will be applied to the foreign aid.
In order the draft budget becomes the law, it will require the approval of both Houses of the Congress and the President’s signature. The draft budget is traditionally considered only as a wide description of priorities of the White House, and the real budget usually becomes the result of negotiation and compromises between the administration and the Congress. For example, the budget compromise on the remainder of 2017 (until late October), reached by both parties, virtually fully excluded Trump’s requirements for reducing the budget of some departments.
