USAID slashes aid to Lanka by 92 percent

Sri Lanka will receive only US$ 3.38 million for its programmes here from the USAID in the 2018 budget -- a drop of 92 percent when compared with the 2016 account summary published in the latest Congressional Budget Justification (CBJ) for the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programmes.

The CBJ is the annual presenta- tion to Congress that justifies the US foreign operations budget request. The latest one shows that the allocation for Sri Lanka for 2018 is only US$ 3.38 million. The same document, in its 2016 account summary, has a figure of US$ 42.5 million for Sri Lanka.

“The FY 2018 budget reflects the President’s ‘America First’ agenda that prioritises the well- being of Americans, bolsters US national security, secures our borders, and highlights US economic interests,” the US Embassy in Colombo said, when asked why there was such a drastic reduction in aid.

“Activities and programmes will address near-term threats, such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and other transnational

terrorist groups, combat illegal migration and trafficking, and level the playing field for American workers and businesses,” the official response said.

“The President’s request reflects a commitment to rebuild our nation’s military within fiscal constraints, while working on behalf of the American people to advance our national security objectives and foreign policy goals,” it added. “The FY 2018 budget request for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) sup- ports the President’s commitments to make the U. S. government more efficient by streamlining efforts to ensure effectiveness of U.S. taxpayer dollars.”

This position is dramatically different to what is reflected in the 2017 budget, which said US assistance to Sri Lanka had entered a new era following “the historic political transition after Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2015”.

“In FY 2017, US assistance will be used to strengthen governance, democratic reform, and the rule of law by promoting and protecting human rights, strengthening justice sector institutions, and supporting civil society organizations,” it said. “FY 2017 resources will also be used to encourage reconciliation efforts and support anti- corruption activities– key foci as the government undertakes major reforms during this political transition. To help increase economic stability, U. S. assistance will also work to improve economic governance and growth, while supporting livelihoods and promoting trade.”