Trump Budget Cuts to Diplomacy to Make US European Command Work More Difficult

The operations of the US European Command (EUCOM) would be complicated by the budget cuts in the area of diplomacy proposed by the administration of President Donald Trump, EUCOM head Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said in a testimony to the US Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — When asked whether the funding cuts to agencies that conduct diplomacy and development would make EUCOM’s job easier or more difficult, Scaparrotti said, "It will make the job more difficult."

"I rely heavily on our relationships with the other agencies in our government," he added.

Earlier in March, the White House released blueprint for the fiscal year 2018 budget that proposes to reduce US contributions to the United Nations by nearly 50 percent. The State Department budget’s reduction amounts to 31 percent or $37.6 billion.