Trump drops plan to take back foreign aid

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has dropped plans to take back up to $4 billion allocated for foreign aid, the State Department said Friday, in the face of opposition from both sides of the aisle in Congress.

The president opted "not to pursue a rescission proposal for funds appropriated for the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)," a State Department official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Office of Management and Budget wrote to State and USAID announcing a freeze for the remaining fiscal year ending September 30 on funds for programs ranging from peacekeeping and health to anti-drug operations.

This prompted a chorus of dissent from senior Democratic and Republican lawmakers, who said in a joint letter to the president the cash was "essential to promoting US global leadership" and protecting Americans.

Speaking in Ottawa on Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo didn´t push back against proposals to cut his budget. "What I have consistently said with respect to every penny the State Department spends, including our foreign assistance budget, is we´ve got to get it right," Pompeo said.

"We´ve got to make sure we are using it in ways that are effective, that American interests are represented in the way we spend that money," he added. State spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the department would "comply with whatever the president´s directive is." According to US media however, Pompeo worked behind the scenes to convince Trump to leave the money alone.