US Congress approves $8 billion in foreign aid cuts

The US Congress overnight approved President Donald Trump's plan to cut about $8 billion in foreign aid funding - as part of the White House effort to dismantle the Agency for International Development - and $1.1 billion for public broadcasting through cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting over the next two years. Conservatives claim that the funding, which is mainly for more than 1,500 local public radio and television stations, as well as the public broadcasters NPR and Pbs, is unnecessary and has funded biased media coverage. The US Congress approved it, with 216 votes in favour and 213 against. The text will be sent to the White House for final signature,

Most of the cuts concern programmes for countries affected by diseases, wars and natural disasters. Among other cuts, also about 400 million dollars in funding for the Global HIV/AIDS prevention programme Pepfar. Only two Republicans in Congress voted against the cut, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Turner of Ohio, who voted with the Democrats.

"We are taking a small step to reduce waste, but a big leap towards fiscal health care," said Florida Republican Congressman Aaron Bean.

Distribution to Afghan children halted because of Doge's cuts Food to feed one and a half million children in Afghanistan and Pakistan will be burnt by the Trump administration because it was not distributed in time and has now expired.

According to The Atlantic magazine, 500 tonnes of energy biscuits were stored in a warehouse in Dubai waiting to be distributed, but the cuts made by the Doge, which led to the dismantling of Usaid, the US humanitarian aid agency, halted all proceedings, leaving the food to expire.The Biden administration had spent $800,000 on these emergency foods and now Trump will spend $130,000 to set them on fire.