Role of Religion in Foreign Aid

In President Donald Trump's budget proposal for fiscal 2018, he has proposed huge foreign aid cuts. One of the more vocal groups speaking up against Trump's proposed cuts are a group of a hundred or so faith leaders in the United States. To these Christian leaders, it is their moral duty to provide aid to other countries who are in times of struggle. Several faith leaders, including Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, and Dr. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, wrote "America is blessed with fertile land, abundant natural resources, a strong economy, and faithful citizens who value religious freedom. But beyond our borders, many countries experience unparalleled suffering and loss of life due to extreme poverty, disease, natural disasters, and conflict". These faith leaders believe that the money the US provides is of great importance for lesser countries capacity to combat violence and terrorism due to environmental degradation and disease.

Supporters of Trump's budget cuts argue that with the US national debt at $20 trillion, the federal government should focus its resources and money on domestic priorities. How will this look to the international public if the US seises to provide aid for struggling countries? According to a 2015 article on CNN, the US spent $35 billion on foreign economic aid in 2014, and that number has only risen since. The US is the biggest contributor of foreign aid in the world, with the Germany and the UK coming in distant second and third. If the US cuts back on its foreign aid, then the whole world is effected. Would other countries step up in terms of contributing foreign aid? Or will no one fill the void left by the US and the amount of foreign aid going to struggling countries would decrease completely?

I found it very interesting that religious leaders are making such an impression on the discourse of foreign aid. They make a compelling argument about the moral duty of the US to help out fellow countries. The Church is a huge source of power on the international stage. If the Church/religious leaders continue to speak on political issues, such as the need for foreign aid provision, the discourse could change completely.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/16/faith-leaders-lobby-congress-against-foreign-aid-cuts.html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/11/politics/us-foreign-aid-report/
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/08/foreign-aid-these-countries-are-the-most-generous/