Trump administration plans to slash US aid for Tunisia
The Donald Trump administration’s proposed budget for Tunisia shrinks aid by 70%, representing a threat to Tunisia’s democratic gains.
TUNIS, Tunisia — The Donald Trump administration is set to make major changes regarding aid to nations throughout the world. Released in late May and to be voted on in the fall, the proposed foreign operations budget for the fiscal year 2018 stipulates a massive decrease of the State Department’s budget for Tunisia. It is expected to drop from just over $177 million in fiscal year 2016 to only $54.5 million, approximately 30% of the previous budget.
Tunisia, as the only true, albeit flawed democracy in the Middle East and North Africa, will see its budget plummet, while the budgets for nondemocratic countries like Jordan and Egypt will only slightly decrease, according to the proposed budget plan. Israel’s budget will stay constant at $3.1 billion.
