Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, shown in Tokyo with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe, said Thursday that the State Department could find more efficient ways to work with less money. Israel would be the only country to escape the Trump administration's proposed deep cuts in foreign aid, the State Department said Thursday. The budget plan from the White House calls for slashing the State Department's $50 billion budget by about 28%, cuts that would mostly target climate change, democracy promotion and health programs, and numerous foreign aid projects. Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, said U.S. aid to Israel, which totaled about $3.1 billion this year, would not be touched under the Trump plan. Numerous members of Congress, along with advocacy organizations, spoke out Thursday against the proposed cuts to State.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 16, 2017 22:39 UTC