Summary
The Trump administration proposed taking back $7.9 billion in foreign aid, citing claims of waste, fraud, and abuse. However, some experts and former officials argue there was little evidence to support these claims, and the aid cuts might be politically motivated.
Key Facts
- The Trump administration aimed to cut $7.9 billion in foreign aid due to alleged "waste, fraud, and abuse."
- USAID, responsible for handling foreign aid, was shut down on July 1 with programs moved to the State Department.
- Senate was set to vote on rescinding nearly $8 billion, approved earlier by the House, by the end of the week.
- Paul Martin, USAID's former inspector general, and other experts questioned the evidence supporting these claims.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated a review of 6,500 programs found inefficient spending.
- Some officials reported that the review process was not thorough, only involving search for specific key words.
- These officials suggested that cuts happened before any detailed evaluations of programs.
- The decision to cut programs led to internal turmoil at USAID and the State Department.
