White House proposes drastic cuts to State Department and funding for UN, NATO and different teams | EUROtoday

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has proposed gutting the State Department’s finances by nearly 50%, closing a variety of abroad diplomatic missions, slashing the variety of diplomatic employees, and eliminating funding for almost all worldwide organizations, together with the United Nations, lots of its companies and for NATO headquarters, officers stated.

The proposal, which was introduced to the State Department final week and continues to be in a extremely preliminary part, is just not anticipated to cross muster with both the division’s management or Congress, which can finally be requested to vote on your complete federal finances within the coming months.

Officials aware of the proposal say it should nonetheless undergo a number of rounds of overview earlier than it even will get to lawmakers, who up to now have amended and even rejected White House finances requests. Though the proposal is preliminary, it provides a sign of the Trump administration’s priorities and coincides with huge job and funding cuts throughout the federal authorities, from Health and Human Services and the Education Department to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Notes from an inside assembly concerning the proposal have been circulated in on-line discussion groups amongst overseas service officers because the weekend however exploded Monday when the State Department was on account of current a separate unrelated reorganization plan to the OMB.

One senior U.S. official aware of the OMB proposal referred to as it “aggressive” when it comes to cost-cutting, but additionally careworn that it was an early define that mirrored what OMB chief Russell Vought sought to do in President Donald Trump’s first administration when he served in the identical job. The official spoke on situation of anonymity to debate inside administration deliberations.

So did two individuals aware of the matter who confirmed the proposal, certainly one of whom additionally stated it originated from OMB.

OMB spokesperson Alexandra McCandless stated that “no final funding decisions have been made.”

OMB’s efforts to severely cut back the State Department’s finances throughout Trump’s first time period have been met with fierce resistance on Capitol Hill and largely failed.

However, Trump’s second administration has moved swiftly to cut back the federal authorities, slashing jobs and funding throughout companies. It’s already dismantled USAID and moved to defund so-called different “soft power” establishments of overseas coverage significance just like the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Radio Free Asia and Radio/TV Marti, which broadcasts to Cuba.

Thus, State Department officers and others have expressed rising concern concerning the chance that the proposed drastic cuts might really be carried out.

According to the notes from the inner State Department assembly, the finances proposal requires:

— Halving overseas help funding managed by State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which stood at $52 billion in 2024.

— Eliminating greater than 1 / 4 of overseas help by State and USAID general, freeze pay by subsequent yr, and lower journey and advantages for U.S. overseas service staffers.

— Eliminating international well being funding aside from small quantities for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. Require international well being companions to contribute a much bigger share.

— Eliminating funding to the United Nations, a serious logistical associate key to many humanitarian efforts world wide, and different main nongovernment organizations, together with NATO.

— Eliminating the primary workplace serving to Afghan allies resettle in different international locations to flee Taliban rule.

— Eliminating the federal government’s unbiased watchdog workplace in search of waste and inefficiency in U.S. applications in Afghanistan.

— Cutting a variety of refugee and immigration applications, and transfer them below a brand new bureau for worldwide humanitarian affairs.

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Amiri reported from the United Nations. AP author Ellen Knickmeyer contributed from Washington.