US President Donald Trump has moved to block $5 billion in foreign aid approved by Congress, the White House confirmed on Friday, heightening the risk of a federal shutdown as Democrats oppose the move.
In a letter to the House of Representatives, Trump said the cuts would “affect programmes of the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).”
Since returning to office in January for a second term, Trump has pursued an aggressive campaign to shrink or dismantle large sections of the federal government. His administration has already gutted USAID, the leading US foreign aid agency.
Founded in 1961 under John F. Kennedy as part of efforts to win influence in the developing world during the Cold War, USAID was folded into the State Department after Secretary of State Marco Rubio reduced 85 per cent of its programming.
Democrats have warned that any move to cancel funds already approved by Congress would collapse talks to avoid a government shutdown after 30 September.