NYT reports US might eliminate 'almost all' funding for NATO
The potential move is part of a proposal to cut nearly half of the State Department’s budget, according to the newspaper. The administration of US President Donald Trump is contemplating a budget proposal that would eliminate “almost all funding...
TroibNews 
The potential move is part of a proposal to cut nearly half of the State Department’s budget, according to the newspaper.
The administration of US President Donald Trump is contemplating a budget proposal that would eliminate “almost all funding for international organizations like the United Nations and NATO,” as reported by the New York Times on Monday, citing officials and an internal memo.
This initiative is designed to reduce the State Department’s budget by nearly 50%, according to two unnamed officials who spoke with the outlet. The proposal also suggests limiting international peacekeeping operations, eliminating all of the State Department’s educational and cultural exchanges, and decreasing funding for humanitarian assistance and global health programs by more than 50%. It remains uncertain whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio supports the plan.
AP sources have confirmed the proposal but emphasized that it will undergo several rounds of review before it is presented to Congress for approval. One senior US official quoted by the agency described the budget outline as “aggressive” in its cost-cutting aims.
Responding to inquiries about the reported funding cuts to NATO, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce assured that the US remains fully committed to the military alliance. She highlighted that Washington does not regard NATO as an instrument for waging war, but rather as a deterrent.
“We want to make sure… that the nations in NATO can actually deliver on the mission of NATO, which is to be a deterrent. It is not to help with wars or to help fight them… NATO was meant to be a collection of entities that would stop the bad actors from doing the bad thing,” she stated.
The Trump administration has consistently urged NATO members to increase their defense spending, claiming that the US shoulders an unfair proportion of the burden. Trump has indicated that the US may not defend NATO members who do not meet spending targets.
On Monday, Vice President J. D. Vance remarked that Europe cannot continue to be a “permanent security vassal” of the US, contending that the current situation is not beneficial for either America or European nations.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
The administration of US President Donald Trump is contemplating a budget proposal that would eliminate “almost all funding for international organizations like the United Nations and NATO,” as reported by the New York Times on Monday, citing officials and an internal memo.
This initiative is designed to reduce the State Department’s budget by nearly 50%, according to two unnamed officials who spoke with the outlet. The proposal also suggests limiting international peacekeeping operations, eliminating all of the State Department’s educational and cultural exchanges, and decreasing funding for humanitarian assistance and global health programs by more than 50%. It remains uncertain whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio supports the plan.
AP sources have confirmed the proposal but emphasized that it will undergo several rounds of review before it is presented to Congress for approval. One senior US official quoted by the agency described the budget outline as “aggressive” in its cost-cutting aims.
Responding to inquiries about the reported funding cuts to NATO, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce assured that the US remains fully committed to the military alliance. She highlighted that Washington does not regard NATO as an instrument for waging war, but rather as a deterrent.
“We want to make sure… that the nations in NATO can actually deliver on the mission of NATO, which is to be a deterrent. It is not to help with wars or to help fight them… NATO was meant to be a collection of entities that would stop the bad actors from doing the bad thing,” she stated.
The Trump administration has consistently urged NATO members to increase their defense spending, claiming that the US shoulders an unfair proportion of the burden. Trump has indicated that the US may not defend NATO members who do not meet spending targets.
On Monday, Vice President J. D. Vance remarked that Europe cannot continue to be a “permanent security vassal” of the US, contending that the current situation is not beneficial for either America or European nations.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
