House rejects Trump’s Middle East aid cuts
The House spending bill calls for far more assistance to North Africa.
Congress rejected the Donald Trump administration’s proposed cuts to Middle East aid today, in some cases even voting to increase assistance over the current year’s budget.
While the State Department request for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 sought deep cuts across the board, members of the House foreign aid spending panel made clear they wouldn’t be touching aid to key US allies such as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. In addition, the House state and foreign operations bill released today makes clear that the administration's proposal to turn some foreign military financing grants into loans is also a nonstarter.
“Funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this heading shall be nonrepayable,” the bill states.
The fiscal year 2018 bill specifically sets aside “not less” than $1.28 billion in total aid for Jordan — Trump sought only $1 billion — and $150 million in economic assistance for Egypt, twice more than the $75 million called for in the Trump budget. A summary of the House bill, meanwhile, specifies that military assistance to Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco should remain “at or above current levels,” overriding the administration’s effort to zero out Moroccan military aid, which stood at $5 million in the fiscal year 2017 request.
