Washington, August 30(HS): US President Donald Trump has initiated a controversial move to cut nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, escalating tensions in Washington and raising the specter of a federal government shutdown. The proposed $4.9 billion reduction targets programs within the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), according to a letter Trump sent to the House of Representatives.

The White House Office of Management and Budget justified the cuts under the banner of putting AMERICA FIRST, asserting a commitment to rooting out government waste and saving American taxpayers money. However, Democrats and some moderate Republicans strongly oppose the maneuver, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling the move illegal and warning it jeopardizes efforts to prevent a budgetary shutdown later this year.

Trump’s gambit, known as a pocket rescission, seeks to retract funds so late in the fiscal year that Congress lacks time to intervene before the funding expires. The cuts would severely impact USAID, the world’s largest humanitarian aid agency, which has already been reduced significantly under Trump’s administration, risking millions of preventable deaths worldwide according to recent Lancet research.

The proposal also targets $838 million allocated for peacekeeping missions, drawing concern from the United Nations about potential liquidity challenges. With Republicans controlling Congress but reliant on Democratic support in the Senate, political deadlock appears imminent, stirring fears of a disruptive and costly government shutdown that could furlough hundreds of thousands of federal workers and halt essential public services.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar