Trump Proposes 25 Percent Drop in Fund Designed to Deter Russia

[steve2470]

Source: US News and World Report

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP has proposed a 25 percent cut to the signature military fund designed to offset Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, according to the Defense Department's budget documents unveiled Monday.

Budget proposals for fiscal 2021 released Monday afternoon call for $4.5 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative, a fund started by the Obama administration in the aftermath of Russia's 2014 invasion of parts of eastern Ukraine and annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, which sparked a conflict that continues to inflict casualties on both sides. The latest proposal represents a precipitous drop from the $6 billion enacted for the current fiscal year and $6.5 billion the year before. Congress approved funding in line with administration requests for those years.

Trump has repeatedly expressed criticism of U.S. programs like the EDI that provide training, resources and money for foreign governments throughout Europe, calling on other U.S. partners to do more. The president has previously raided this fund as a workaround to pay for a wall along the southern U.S. border after Congress refused to allocate those funds. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is expected to make an announcement later this week on how the military will pay for additional border wall construction, CNN reports, after Defense budget officials on Monday said that decision was not yet final.

The proposal released Monday does not represent precisely how the Pentagon will in fact spend money for the coming year as Congress will make significant changes in its appropriations process. Support for countries facing Russian aggression, including Ukraine, has traditionally enjoyed rare bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, though that backing has begun to crack amid the president's outspoken skepticism of such programs. Trump has continued to claim that Ukraine attempted to influence the 2016 election.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2020-02-10/trump-seeks-steep-cut-to-fund-designed-to-deter-russia-from-threats-to-europe

[bucolic_frolic]

1. He's destroying everything this country stands for

[Evolve Dammit]

5. And at a fast clip. We have traitors entrenched. Vlad must be glad, or ecstatic.

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. When do systematic policy decisions that always favor Russia reach the level of Treason?

I don't understand why Trump gets to make decisions that probably benefit Putin's interests....when is the House and Senate going to counteract our apparent surrender under Trump?

[rickyhall]

4. Very good question

Problem is, according to the Constitution, no treason in peace time.

[ffr]

6. +1

100% dead on the money.

[keithbvadu2]

3. Putting money into Trump was the best investment Putin ever made

[DavidDvorkin]

7. His next quarterly employee review from Vladimir will be really good.

[BlueIdaho]

8. His "Budget"

Must have been written in the Kremlin. Let’s hope smarter heads treat this years Budget suggestions like last years and ignore most of them.

[dalton99a]

9. Fucking traitor

[Botany]

11. +1

n/t

[GReedDiamond]

10. The remaining 75% will be diverted into building the wall...

...on the Mexican border, to keep out Russians sneaking in from Mexico.

[McCamy Taylor]

12. The saddest thing is that this traitor has treacherous supporters at home.

[lark]

13. Guaranteed he will let PUtin invade Ukraine and pull us out of NATO if he steals another election.

He's setting up our destruction now and the advancement of Russia. That is the only reason he was given the office and he MUST fufill his end of the bargain or PUtin will destroy him and the Republican party. Well, OK, there were other things - like buying billions of dollars of Deripasks (defective) steel and getting sanctions removed. That, BTW, is 1/2 of the plot with Ukraine, show they did election tampering (info placed by Russia for dissemenation) not Russia and sanctions MUST be removed. That's what PUtin wanted, and of course Hair Furor has to do as the master bids or else.