February 7, 2020
With the world’s attention on the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, it was hardly a surprise to hear President Donald J. Trump mention it in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, promising to fight at home and abroad not only the newly emerging infection—but also cancer, Alzheimer’s, kidney disease, and the AIDS epidemic. Notwithstanding those callouts, it’s safe to assume the federal budget President Trump presents this coming Monday will once again play to populist themes and skepticism of multilateral action, proposing major cuts to U.S. international assistance. Don’t be too concerned, though. There is every reason to think the U.S. Congress will do as it has done the last three years and reject draconian cuts to the foreign aid budget.
Read the full article by Chris Collins and Mark Lagon on CFR’s Think Global Health blog.