budget cuts

Zika has faded from the media spotlight in recent months, but public health officials are gearing up for the virus to resurface as the summer brings warmer weather and mosquitos. The virus is linked to serious birth defects in babies of mothers who were infected while pregnant. But global health experts warn that the infectious disease and others like it will be much more difficult to contain in the future as Trump moves ahead with the reenactment and expansion of the Mexico City Policy, a ruling that blocks U.S.

After defeating Fascism in World War II, Washington channeled billions of dollars into the war-torn nations of Europe and Japan, helping transform them into economic success stories and vital democratic allies. That’s a lesson worth remembering as President Trump tries to slash the State Department and its foreign aid programs by about 30 percent in the proposed budget for the next fiscal year, while raising Pentagon spending by 10 percent.

This week began with reports that President Donald Trump’s budget proposal will drastically slash the State Department’s funding, and last week ended with White House adviser and former Breitbart head Stephen Bannon telling the attendees of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference that what he and the new president were after was a “deconstruction of the administrative state.” At the State Department, which employs nearly 70,000 people around the world, that deconstruction is already well underway.

David Ensor, who as director of the Voice of America has presided over significant growth in the news agency’s audience despite budget cuts, announced Tuesday that he was stepping down. Mr. Ensor, who joined the Voice of America in June 2011, said he would leave the government-funded broadcaster at the end of next month. He did not explain his decision or discuss his plans.

The Abbott government's deep foreign aid cuts are undermining the national interest and harming Australia's relations abroad, aid organisations say in a major pitch to reverse the cuts in the coming budget.

Every now and then Congress shows wisdom as in the recent decision by the House and Senate to reject a request from the Obama administration to cut funding for the famous Fulbright program from $237 to $204 million. What's a Fulbright and why should you care?

As one who had the honor of serving 35 years in the U.S. military, my experience has convinced me that America’s interests are inextricably linked to the prosperity and security of other nations and their people. Today’s global crises frequently do not have a military solution, but require a comprehensive American engagement that strengthens the civilian tools of development and diplomacy that are essential in enabling countries around the world to address the challenges threatening their security and prosperity as well as ours.

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