Risking Values, Security and Economic Interests
August 1, 2011
As the United States Government seems on the verge of finalizing a deal to raise the debt ceiling, it’s clear that budget cuts will be a part of the package. With this in mind, it’s important to recognize what’s at risk when considering spending reductions.
With defense, social security and Medicare/Medicaid off the table, these cuts will be targeted at discretionary spending–a segment that makes up a little more than one-third of the federal budget. One of the most frequent targets then becomes international affairs funding (a relatively small discretionary account).
In fact, the House of Representatives is already making a concerted effort to slash funding for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). With international affairs funding up for disproportionate cuts, the values, security and economic interests of the United States are in jeopardy.
Values
Few would argue that working to prevent atrocities, respond to food insecurity, combat global health challenges and promote democracy is in line with the nation’s values. Unfortunately, the importance of prioritizing values has been lost in Congress. Washington Post columnist and former George W. Bush advisor, Michael Gerson argued earlier this year that recent cuts proposed by fiscal conservatives are misplaced:
Republicans were drawn into this debate when they proposed major reductions in foreign assistance, believing this category of spending to be an easy political target. Instead, they have stumbled into what one poet called “a problem on the borderline of ethics and accounting.”