US Must Fund Foreign Aid Programs to Deter Potential Security Threats - Bush

Cutting US foreign aid programs raises the threat to national security and fuels extremism, former US President George W. Bush said in an interview aired on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Bush argued that foreign aid programs are in the national and moral interest of the United States.

"When you have an entire generation of people being wiped out and the free world turns its back, it provides a convenient opportunity for people to spread extremism," Bush told the National Public Radio.

President Donald Trump’s blueprint for the fiscal year 2018 budget proposes $54 billion in cuts for the federal government, and includes slashing foreign aid programs.

The US foreign aid budget amounts to some $30billion.

The budget proposes a $52.3 billion defense spending boost and corresponding cuts across numerous federal agencies.