05/18/2016, DC USA

Many predicted the Trump Administration would come in hot, looking to cut waste recklessly. Drain the swamp. Down the Establishment.

It’s too early to tell what will happen. Still, lining up the campaign rhetoric, Cabinet selections, now with actual policy and proposed budgets, many are fearing the worst.

Right off the bat, the new Administration with its first budget is clearly signaling that the US 150 Account* is low hanging fruit. In its quest to deconstruct the administrative state, the White House proposes gutting our diplomatic, peace keeping and humanitarian function, role, staff, programs and funds. In the name of savings for an America First agenda, which hasn’t been defined, we’d cut the opportunities for the world’s poorest people and conflict affected regions – and not because those funds are excessive, just because it benefits non-US citizens.

* The 150 Account refers to the International Affairs budget and includes: money allocated for aid such as food and shelter for refugees fleeing Boko Haram as well as HIV, malaria, TB, maternal and children’s health programs that reach the poorest of the poor. It also includes budget support for US consulates, embassies; military assistance for our allies; economic assistance for new democracies; promotion of U.S. exports; support for international organizations; and of course, international peacekeeping efforts.

Over the last 15 years especially, the world has worked together and mobilized in historic ways to lift the global poor, raising the quality of life for all mankind. And it’s working. Much of it due to US leadership and taxpayer money, the world’s population living below the extreme poverty line fell by more than half between 2002 and 2012. What extraordinary positive social change.

In the grand scheme of things, all this costs US taxpayers less than 1% of the overall budget. Yet it represents livelihoods for billions. These investments pay dividends: avoid conflict, preserve peace and/or grow markets.

Aid can be done more efficiently, sure; but if we scrap these investments, stunting decades of advances against poverty, disease and war, we’ll have literally millions of deaths on our hands and fragile markets will become crisis zones and developing market will back-fill to become fragile.

A rapid rise of extreme poverty will intensify radicalism; perpetuate cycles of desperation and violence and fuel migration. We’ll have to spend that money on immigration, anti-terrorism, emergency aid, and/or the military anyway. So it’s not really low hanging fruit or savings, and would just make us look bad and not sleep at night.

Just out of pure self-interest, the elimination of poverty worldwide should be a top priority because it makes the US look and feel good, gives the US leverage, bang for buck, increases allies, provides the US insurance, catalyzes US co-investment, creates US jobs…

Frightening to think what a -51.2%/10-year cut to funding for international affairs would look like in real terms like deaths, mortality and fall backs in freedom and economic progress. The trillions in lost US taxpayer investments.

Progress against poverty is tedious. Continued commitment is crucial. The baton is President Trump’s and he’s dropping it.

If all this populism tells us one thing it’s that Americans are who they are; that being American is a distinct experience and that there are values to be upheld.

America is generous because it’s who we are and it makes us better in every way. We also give because we’re entitled, our problems don’t compare to the world around us and we want to be positive contributors.

// 05/18/2016, KJS