State Department Diverts Up to $125 Million in Aid to Energy Costs, Including $49 Million for Contraception
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 29
State Department Diverts Up to $125 Million in Aid to Energy Costs, Including $49 Million for Contraception
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 29
Summary
$125 million in foreign aid could be redirected by the State Department to cover surging energy costs, including nearly $49 million Congress had earmarked for contraception in low-income countries.
A memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited the Foreign Assistance Act's "unanticipated contingencies" provision and said the money would support partners hit by supply cutoffs, market disruption and inflated energy prices.
The department did not identify which countries would receive the aid or explain how the funds would be spent, saying only that assistance was being realigned to meet critical needs and national interests.
Oil prices have climbed during President Trump's war with Iran, while renewed Saudi-Houthi hostilities have added risks to energy infrastructure in a region central to global crude, diesel and gasoline supplies.
Senate Democrats called the move executive overreach, with Appropriations Committee Democrat Patty Murray accusing the administration of raiding family-planning funds to offset an energy crisis it helped create.