WASHINGTON (AP) – Secretary of State Rex Tillerson faced harsh bipartisan criticism on Tuesday as he tried to defend the Trump administration’s proposed slashing of America’s diplomatic and foreign aid budget.
Testifying before two Senate committees, Tillerson faced tough questions about the administration’s proposal to cut funding for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development by more than 31 percent in the fiscal year beginning in October.
The chairman and ranking members of both committees said the budget is a non-starter and represents an abdication of American leadership. The proposal would cut the diplomatic and development budget from $54.9 billion to $37.6 billion.
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he told his staff that had given up going through the budget line-by-line because it was a “waste of time” given that lawmakers would reject it.
“The reason it was a waste of time is I think you know that the budget that’s been presented is not going to be the budget we’re going to deal with,” Corker said. “It’s just not.”