While the US is unlikely to revoke existing trade deals with the sub-Saharan African region under newly incumbent President Donald Trump, more general policy shifts could lead to damaging cuts to US foreign aid directed into the region, the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) has cautioned.
“There are likely to be run-off effects from general policy decisions that Trump will make that will have an impact. This may lead to major cuts in the foreign aid budget that will likely harm a number of countries in the region,” HSF researcher Rafael Friedman asserts.
According to the HSF, sub-Saharan Africa receives more US humanitarian aid than any other region, with these funds forming a substantial part of many nations’ gross domestic product.
However, the Trump administration has recently announced that it is looking to drastically cut the budgets of a number of federal agencies, with a particular focus on the State Department, which is responsible for the foreign aid budget.
Moreover, Friedman says a document recently distributed at the State Department by the Trump administration directly questioned whether sub-Saharan African aid money could not be better spent domestically.
“The possibility of foreign aid budget cuts has led to push back from senior military leaders who are concerned that it will worsen America’s security outlook,” he adds.
The impact of budgetary adjustments on US foreign aid is expected to be clarified when the US Federal Budget is released in May.
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