The budget of the state Department planned to cut by 28%, Pentagon — to increase by 10%
Also the cost of the activities of NASA in the next fiscal year will be cut by about 1%
WASHINGTON, March 16. /Offset. TASS Dmitry Kirsanov/. Funding of the US state Department in the coming year is to reduce by 28%, while the Pentagon is to increase by 10%.
This was announced at a press briefing the Director of the office of management and budget the White house Mick Malvani.
“I would say that we are talking about a reduction of 28%,” — said the head of the Department. “What you will see in the budget of the Department of state, is a reflection of the impairment of foreign aid programs”, — he explained. The latter are provided mostly through the Agency for international development (USAID), which is part of the U.S. state Department. “We believe that defense – diplomatic functions of the Department of state,” he added, Malvani.
He confirmed that the government on Thursday will unveil a draft Federal budget of the United States to 2018 fiscal year. Will be presented a truncated version of the document showing only the main provisions of the draft budget 2018, he said.
The full draft budget for the next fiscal year (starts October 1) will be submitted for consideration of Congress in may
Decisions — “it is not the ratio of the President (of the USA of Donald trump) to the state Department,” said Malwani. The current head of the Washington administration “firmly believes in making the Secretary of state (USA Rex) Tillerson”, he said.
Budget hard power
According to him, allocations to the military Department in 2018, the Executive branch provides to Congress for a 10% increase, or $54 billion, and on the activities of the Ministry of national security 6%.
It also provides for the extension of funding for the US nuclear Arsenal
“In fact, we have increased (in the draft) defense expenditure of the Ministry of energy on the nuclear triad,” said Malwani.
“This is not a budget for soft power. This budget is hard power, and it was done deliberately. The President clearly wants to send a signal to our allies and our potential adversaries, namely that the current administration relies on hard power”, — said Malwani.
This year the work of the state Department and USAID allocated $50.1 billion of This amount is slightly more than 1% of the expenditure part of the Federal budget of the United States. If approved by Congress, plans to increase expenditures on defense they will be in the next year about $603 billion.
Melwani also said that the legislature will be asked for additional funding for defence and security in the current financial year in the amount of $30 billion, These funds will be put “on the strengthening of border control”, said the specialist. In accordance with the outlined information, the request includes the allocation of $1.5 billion for the construction of a protective wall on the border of the United States and Mexico to prevent illegal immigration. Trump many times warned about the intention to create the barrier, and at the expense of its southern neighbor the United States.
As stated, Malvani, funds for the construction of the walls will be incorporated in the draft budget-2018
Specific figures are not mentioned.
The NASA budget
The cost of the activities of the National Directorate of the USA on Aeronautics and space research (NASA) in the next fiscal year will be cut by about 1%.
“Overall, the NASA budget was reduced very slightly, like, 1%”, — said Malwani.
Currently, the work NASA is in the range of $19.3 billion
As he noted, is expected to make transfers in the framework of the NASA budget to increase appropriations for a number of “priorities of the President (of the USA of Donald trump), and this includes the exploration of other planets.”