Page:Impeachment of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States — Report of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives.pdf/262

 '''1. President Trump has been skeptical about U.S. taxpayer-funded foreign assistance.'''

Evidence suggests that President Trump is generally skeptical of U.S. taxpayer-funded foreign assistance. President Trump's skepticism of U.S. taxpayer-funded foreign assistance is long-standing. On June 16, 2015, when President Trump announced his candidacy for president, he said:

"It is time to stop sending jobs overseas through bad foreign trade deals. We will renegotiate our trade deals with the toughest negotiators our country has... the ones who have actually read "The Art of the Deal" and know how to make great deals for our country.

It is time to close loopholes for Wall Street and create far more opportunities for small businesses.

It is necessary that we invest in our infrastructure, stop sending foreign aid to countries that hate us and use that money to rebuild our tunnels, roads, bridges and schools—and nobody can do that better than me."

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump continued to express his skepticism of U.S. taxpayer-funded foreign aid. In March 2016, he told the Washington Post, "I do think it's a different world today and I don't think we should be nation building anymore. I think it's proven not to work. And we have a different country than we did then. You know we have 19 trillion dollars in debt. . . . And I just think we have to rebuild our country." That same month, then-candidate Trump told the New York Times, "We're going to be friendly with everybody, but we're not going to be taken advantage of by anybody. . . . I think we'll be very worldview [sic], but we're not going to be ripped off anymore by all of these countries."

As president, President Trump has sought to reduce U.S. taxpayer-funded foreign assistance. In his fiscal year 2018 budget proposal, the President proposed "to reduce or end direct funding for international programs and organizations whose missions do not substantially advance U.S. foreign policy interests. The Budget also renews attention on the appropriate U.S. share of international spending . . . for many other global issues where the United States currently pays more than its fair share." The President's 2020 budget proposal—submitted in March 2019—likewise "supports America's reliable allies, but reflects a new approach toward countries that have taken unfair advantage of the United States' generosity." The President's 33