State Department denies complete US withdrawal from NATO funding
The US State Department is opposed to a number of provisions of the White House Office of Management and Budget memorandum, including the "complete cessation of funding" for NATO.
This is reported by NBC News, Censor.NET cites RBC-Ukraine as saying.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce did not state unequivocally that the cessation of NATO funding is impossible, but she has repeatedly stressed that no plan would be final until US President Donald Trump submits a full federal budget to Congress.
According to the memo, which was seen by NBC News, funding for the State Department and the remaining USAID programmes should be cut to $28.4 billion - almost half of last year's budget.
Trump's team recommended cutting contributions to more than 20 international organisations by 89% - from $1.4 billion to $169 million. In particular, the ‘complete cancellation of funding’ for the UN and NATO.
"It really makes me concerned when I see the word ‘eliminate,’" said Bruce, adding that she traveled with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to NATO headquarters, where he "confirmed our full commitment to NATO, as did the President of the US."
A State Department spokeswoman said that the idea of cutting off funding for NATO "couldn't be further from the truth," adding that "this is about making NATO stronger."
In addition, the draft budget envisages a 56% cut in aid to foreign countries, to $16.9 billion. This amount includes $2.1 billion to create a new fund called the "America First Opportunity Fund," while funding for global health, humanitarian, and defence assistance programmes is significantly reduced.
The final budget proposal is expected to be submitted to the US Congress this month.
