USAID funds to be redirected to ‘America First’ agenda; Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict among priorities

The Trump administration is set to redirect nearly $2 billion in U.S. foreign aid toward a list of priorities aimed at advancing the president’s “America First” agenda, The Washington Post writes.

The previously unreported plan was outlined to lawmakers in a Sept. 12 document from the State Department, presenting a rebranding of Washington’s approach to foreign assistance following the administration’s move to dissolve the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) earlier this year.

Spanning more than 10 pages, the document details how the administration intends to channel $1.8 billion toward overseas initiatives, including countering “Marxist, anti-American regimes” in Latin America and investments in Greenland and Ukraine. It also lists projects that would lose funding, such as $175 million for the West Bank and Gaza, and $150 million for Iraq.

“The national security interests of the United States require that the U.S. use these foreign assistance funds to address new challenges in ways that make America safer, stronger, or more prosperous,” the document states.

Some of the redirected funding will go to projects that appear to have bipartisan support, ranging from strengthening U.S. allies and partners in the Pacific—where China’s territorial ambitions have concerned both Republicans and Democrats—to promoting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Central Asia.

However, lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about the administration’s approach. Some have described the priorities as unclear and questioned the legal basis for reallocating funds already designated for other initiatives.