In response to press reports that President Donald Trump’s Administration will seek to slash federal funding of foreign aid, Gawain Kripke, Oxfam America policy director, made the following statement:
“The world is facing multiple crises simultaneously. War and terrorism have displaced more people from their homes than at any time since World War II. Separately, famine has been declared in one region, and there are potentially three other famines looming. The idea that America would slash life-saving foreign aid at this moment is unconscionable. America has always stood with the oppressed, helped victims, fed the hungry, rebuilt better.
“Foreign aid is a fraction of a fraction of the US budget, but provides a life-line to tens of millions around the world. At less than 1 percent of the budget, US foreign aid responds to the crisis of the day. But it also builds a better future: ensures poor girls go to school, sick people get medical care, entrepreneurs and farmers get tools to strengthen the local economy and makes America safer.
“The budget represents America’s moral choices. The Administration’s proposal cut spending for the meek and vulnerable is a disgrace to our American values. Cutting foreign aid will do practically nothing to balance the US budget. But it will eliminate a critical tool in the long struggle to counter violent extremism and terrorism at home and abroad and have devastating consequences for poor people around the world. Congress must urgently fight to protect these vital programs from cuts.”
