The US State Department Budget cuts proposed by Trump’s administration may result in eliminating many posts of the US special envoys posted in different regions. If the proposal gets ahead, it will lead to the US removing a key diplomatic position created for restoring peace in the Pak-Afghan region.
Massive US State Department Budget Cuts
The Trump Administration proposed 28 percent reduction in State Department budget cuts. The main idea behind the cost cutting is to reduce the foreign assistance provided by US State Department to US allies. The proposed US State Department’s budget cut would also result in reduced size of the organization.
Vacant Positions in US State Department
US President Donald Trump’s has completed its second month in office, but due to US State Department cuts, his administration is not considering hiring for many key positions. The key positions still vacant include roles for directly dealing with the South Asian region in general and US representatives for the Pakistan and Afghanistan region.
Director of the Office of Management of Budget Mick Mulvaney told reporters the following.
“There is no question that it is a hard power budget. This is not a soft power budget. And that was done intentionally. The President very clearly wants to send a message to our allies and our potential adversaries that this is a strong power administration. So we have seen money move from soft power program such a foreign aid to more hard power programs. That’s allies can expect. That’s adversaries can expect.”
Essential Budget Allocations by Donald Trump Administration
Here are some of the necessary budget allocations proposed by Trump Administration.
- Cost cutting costs in areas like non-defense discretionary spending including major basic research will help provide funds for proposed increase in US military budget of $56 billion.
- Trump Administration plans to work with the Congress to make the 2011 law called Budget Control Act (BCA). The BCA was created to help maintain a balance between military and civil spending.
- Some of the core areas to see reduced funding by the US Government include Foreign Aid, Environmental Protection Agency, and Programs on Climate Change.
There are many criticisms faced by Trump’s Administration on US State Department budget cuts.
Here is what Head of Department, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had to say about US State Department budget cuts.
“The level of spending that the State Department has been undertaking in the past — and particularly in this past year — is simply not sustainable. We are going to be undertaking a very comprehensive examination of how programs are executed, a very comprehensive examination of how we are structured, and I’m confident that with the input of the men and women of the State Department, we are going to construct a way forward that allows us to be much more effective, much more efficient and be able to do a lot with fewer dollars.”
The increasing influence of China and Russia are the cause of concern for many in Washington. The proposed US State Department budget cuts will eventually impact United States’ ability to engage its allies better. Some in the Congress even argue that these proposed budget reductions will result in an enemy country taking advantage of the situation.
