Latest news with #RachelCauley
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
White House proposes axing 988 suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth
The Department of Health and Human Services' proposed budget for 2026 eliminates specialized suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth and young adults. The budget proposal, which the department published Friday, designates $520 million for 988, the suicide prevention line, and behavioral health crisis services, which is the same amount the Biden administration provided for 988. However, the 2026 budget proposal would end government funding for LGBTQ-specific counseling to 988 callers upon request. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for HHS directed NBC News to the White House's Office of Management and Budget. Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for OMB, noted that the proposed budget would provide the same amount for 988 services as was provided in previous years. 'It does not, however, grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by 'counselors' without consent or knowledge of their parents,' Cauley said. 'Radical gender ideology' is a political term adopted by conservatives and President Donald Trump's administration to describe the existence of transgender people and the trans rights movement, which it considers harmful to children. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has existed since 2005, and, in 2020, during his first term, Trump signed legislation designating 988 as the new lifeline number by 2022. That legislation required 988 to provide LGBTQ youth and young adults who call the line with access to 'specially trained staff and partner organizations,' noting that queer and trans youth 'are more than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers, with 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth and more than 1 in 3 transgender youth reporting attempting suicide.' A senior administration official said the money for services for LGBTQ young people has not been cut, but rather reallocated to the general 988 services so that it doesn't go to 'radical grooming contractors,' using another term adopted by conservatives decades ago to falsely equate being LGBTQ or promoting LGBTQ inclusivity with sexually abusing children. The contractors who provide LGBTQ-specific services through 988 are mental health organizations based across the U.S. Most of them provide mental health care to the general population in addition to LGBTQ people. The official said only the contract with 'radical gender' counselors is being terminated, and not the resources. However, under the proposed budget, when LGBTQ youth and young adults under age 25 call 988, there will not be an option for them to be connected to a counselor who is trained to provide support to LGBTQ youth. Currently, LGBTQ young people can also text 'PRIDE' to 988 to reach a counselor with such training. The official did not respond to additional questions regarding what organization(s) 'radical grooming contractors' was referring to specifically. The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youths, is among the contractors that make up a subnetwork of specialists who provide 988 services to LGBTQ young people. 'Attempts to discredit these life-saving services will not change the reality of what this administration is proposing: the elimination of a national suicide prevention program, run by seven leading crisis contact centers, that has supported over 1.3 million LGBTQ+ youth across the U.S. with best-practice crisis care,' Jaymes Black, the project's CEO, said in a statement to NBC News, referring to the number of contacts who have reached out to 988 for LGBTQ-specific support since the program's start in 2022. 'Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — and our President — came together during the first Trump administration to create this specialized resource,' Black added. 'It's a shared acknowledgement that every young life is worth saving, and that risk, not identity, drives evidence-based and effective crisis intervention. We strongly urge the administration and Congress to rethink this proposal, and do what is best for ending the public health crisis of suicide among our nation's youth." The other six contractors who provide 988 services to LGBTQ young people are Centerstone, Volunteers of America Western Washington State, Solari Crisis & Human Services, CommUnity Crisis Services, HopeLink Behavioral Health and La Frontera EMPACT. Centerstone did not answer NBC News' question about the proposed elimination to 988's LGBTQ-specific service, and the other organizations did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In April, The Washington Post reported a leaked HHS budget draft that proposed cutting funding for 988 services for LGBTQ youth. At the time, the White House wouldn't confirm the veracity of that draft or the information about the funding. The budget proposal is the latest effort from the Trump administration to rollback services and protections for LGBTQ people, specifically transgender people. In the first few weeks of his second administration, Trump issued several executive orders targeting trans people, including declaring that there are only two unchangeable sexes; prohibiting trans people from enlisting and serving in the military; barring trans girls and women from competing on female sports teams in federally-funded K-12 schools and colleges; and barring federal funding from going to hospitals that provide transition-related care to minors. Federal officials have also scrubbed agency websites of any mention of transgender or intersex people, including from the website for the Stonewall National Monument commemorating the site of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, in which historians say trans people were crucial and became a turning point in the modern gay rights movement. At the start of June, which is LGBTQ Pride month, the Navy confirmed to NBC News that it would rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named for the LGBTQ rights activist, Navy veteran and first openly gay man elected to public office in California. This article was originally published on
NBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- NBC News
White House proposes axing 988 suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth
The Department of Health and Human Services' proposed budget for 2026 eliminates specialized suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth and young adults. The budget proposal, which the department published Friday, designates $520 million for 988, the suicide prevention line, and behavioral health crisis services, which is the same amount the Biden administration provided for 988. However, the 2026 budget proposal would end government funding for LGBTQ-specific counseling to 988 callers upon request. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for HHS directed NBC News to the White House's Office of Management and Budget. Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for OMB, noted that the proposed budget would provide the same amount for 988 services as was provided in previous years. 'It does not, however, grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by 'counselors' without consent or knowledge of their parents,' Cauley said. 'Radical gender ideology' is a political term adopted by conservatives and President Donald Trump's administration to describe the existence of transgender people and the trans rights movement, which it considers harmful to children. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has existed since 2005, and, in 2020, during his first term, Trump signed legislation designating 988 as the new lifeline number by 2022. That legislation required 988 to provide LGBTQ youth and young adults who call the line with access to 'specially trained staff and partner organizations,' noting that queer and trans youth 'are more than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers, with 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth and more than 1 in 3 transgender youth reporting attempting suicide.' A senior administration official said the money for services for LGBTQ young people has not been cut, but rather reallocated to the general 988 services so that it doesn't go to 'radical grooming contractors,' using another term adopted by conservatives decades ago to falsely equate being LGBTQ or promoting LGBTQ inclusivity with sexually abusing children. The contractors who provide LGBTQ-specific services through 988 are mental health organizations based across the U.S. Most of them provide mental health care to the general population in addition to LGBTQ people. The official said only the contract with 'radical gender' counselors is being terminated, and not the resources. However, under the proposed budget, when LGBTQ youth and young adults under age 25 call 988, there will not be an option for them to be connected to a counselor who is trained to provide support to LGBTQ youth. Currently, LGBTQ young people can also text 'PRIDE' to 988 to reach a counselor with such training. The official did not respond to additional questions regarding what organization(s) 'radical grooming contractors' was referring to specifically. The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youths, is among the contractors that make up a subnetwork of specialists who provide 988 services to LGBTQ young people. 'Attempts to discredit these life-saving services will not change the reality of what this administration is proposing: the elimination of a national suicide prevention program, run by seven leading crisis contact centers, that has supported over 1.3 million LGBTQ+ youth across the U.S. with best-practice crisis care,' Jaymes Black, the project's CEO, said in a statement to NBC News, referring to the number of contacts who have reached out to 988 for LGBTQ-specific support since the program's start in 2022. 'Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — and our President — came together during the first Trump administration to create this specialized resource,' Black added. 'It's a shared acknowledgement that every young life is worth saving, and that risk, not identity, drives evidence-based and effective crisis intervention. We strongly urge the administration and Congress to rethink this proposal, and do what is best for ending the public health crisis of suicide among our nation's youth. The other six contractors who provide 988 services to LGBTQ young people are Centerstone, Volunteers of America Western Washington State, Solari Crisis & Human Services, CommUnity Crisis Services, HopeLink Behavioral Health and La Frontera EMPACT. Centerstone did not answer NBC News' question about the proposed elimination to 988's LGBTQ-specific service, and the other organizations did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In April, The Washington Post reported a leaked HHS budget draft that proposed cutting funding for 988 services for LGBTQ youth. At the time, the White House wouldn't confirm the veracity of that draft or the information about the funding. The budget proposal is the latest effort from the Trump administration to rollback services and protections for LGBTQ people, specifically transgender people. In the first few weeks of his second administration, Trump issued several executive orders targeting trans people, including declaring that there are only two unchangeable sexes; prohibiting trans people from enlisting and serving in the military; barring trans girls and women from competing on female sports teams in federally-funded K-12 schools and colleges; and barring federal funding from going to hospitals that provide transition-related care to minors. Federal officials have also scrubbed agency websites of any mention of transgender or intersex people, including from the website for the Stonewall National Monument commemorating the site of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, in which historians say trans people were crucial and became a turning point in the modern gay rights movement. At the start of June, which is LGBTQ Pride month, the Navy confirmed to NBC News that it would rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named for the LGBTQ rights activist, Navy veteran and first openly gay man elected to public office in California.
Washington Post
30-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
White House releases partial budget, but without critical details
The White House Office of Management and Budget released hundreds of budget documents early Friday evening that left out key projections that administrations of both parties have publicly disclosed for decades up to now. With little fanfare, the budget office released 1,224 pages that spell out its spending plans in detail, expanding on the abbreviated 'skinny budget' it unveiled this month. So far, though, the administration has only addressed the portion of federal outlays known as discretionary spending, which doesn't cover programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that comprise the bulk of the federal budget. Typically, the White House releases a comprehensive budget proposal each year that provides 10-year estimates of federal spending, revenue and deficits, as well as projections of economic growth, interest rates and other important indexes. These numbers are hotly contested and typically initiate a debate over the White House's priorities. But the Trump administration appears to be trying to avoid that debate, at least for now, by ignoring the traditional process for releasing a budget. OMB spokeswoman Rachel Cauley said the administration is waiting until Congress finishes working on the president's tax legislation before it releases economic or deficit projections. Any estimates or deficit figures released now would 'not be accurate' because negotiations over the bill are not concluded, she said. She added that the administration had released a budget, pointing to the less detailed proposal unveiled earlier this year. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the tax bill approved by the House would add more than $2 trillion to the federal debt over the next decade. Several experts said they could not recall a time when the White House had gone so long without disclosing widely cited estimates about its economic forecast. Under a 1974 law, the president is required to submit a budget to Congress no later than the first Monday in February, although typically it arrives later during the first year of a presidential term. 'I've never seen a budget delayed this much. The president's budget sets a vision for the entire federal government that is useful to Congress and the American people,' said Jessica Riedl, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a center-right think tank. 'Without it, we don't know what policies the president will promote or what bills he will sign and veto.' G. William Hoagland, senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank, said the new document released by the budget office would help the appropriations committees assess the fraction of the federal budget known as discretionary spending as lawmakers try to write spending legislation for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. 'Maybe this is just the start — but if this is what they're doing, they're breaking precedent,' Hoagland said. 'If this is what they claim is the budget, this is not normal.' Part of the challenge in crafting a full budget proposal may be the president's frequent policy reversals. Trump's tariff policies — which are important for making forecasts about the economy and federal revenue — change on a weekly or even daily basis, and his views on Medicaid and other federal programs also change routinely. That may also make it difficult for the White House to release a full budget document. 'This is extraordinarily unusual. I don't remember it happening in my 46 years of watching this or the first four years of the Trump administration,' said Charles Kieffer, who spent several decades across administrations in the OMB and worked for Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
New York Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Live Updates: Trump to Unveil 2026 Budget Proposal, Seeking Substantial Cuts Across Government
The budget is merely the president's formal recommendation to Congress, but it is likely to inform Republican lawmakers as they seek to fund a package that would extend and expand a set of tax cuts enacted during President Trump's first term. The Trump administration, which has made clear that it aims to slash government spending, is preparing to unveil a budget proposal as soon as next week that includes draconian cuts that would entirely eliminate some federal programs and fray the nation's social safety net. The proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year would cut billions of dollars from programs that support child care, health research, education, housing assistance, community development and the elderly, according to preliminary documents reviewed by The New York Times. The proposal, which is being finalized by the White House's Office of Management and Budget, also targets longstanding initiatives that have been prized by Democrats and that Republicans view as 'woke' or wasteful spending. Technically, the president's blueprint is merely a formal recommendation to Congress, which must ultimately adopt any changes to spending. The full extent of President Trump's proposed cuts for 2026 is not yet clear. Rachel Cauley, a spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget, said in a statement that 'no final funding decisions have been made.' But early indications suggest the budget will aim to formalize Mr. Trump's disruptive reorganization of the federal government. That process — largely overseen by the tech billionaire Elon Musk — has frozen billions of dollars in aid, shuttered some programs and dismissed thousands of workers from their jobs, prompting numerous court challenges. The early blueprint reflects Mr. Trump's long-held belief that some federal antipoverty programs are unnecessary or rife with waste, fraud and abuse. And it echoes many of the ideas espoused by his budget director, Russell T. Vought, a key architect of Project 2025 who subscribes to the view that the president has expansive powers to ignore Congress and cancel spending viewed as 'woke and weaponized.' He previously endorsed some of the cuts to housing, education and other programs that Mr. Trump is expected to unveil in the coming days. The White House is expected to release the budget as soon as next week, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the highly secretive process. The president is expected to couple his blueprint for 2026 with a second measure — also set for release next week — that would slash more than $9 billion in previously approved spending for the current fiscal year, including money that funds PBS and NPR. In total, the proposed cuts are likely to inform Republican lawmakers as they look for ways to fund their economic agenda, including a package that would extend and expand a set of tax cuts enacted during Mr. Trump's first term. Their ambitions are projected to cost trillions of dollars, though Republican leaders have explored whether to invoke a budget accounting trick to make it seem as though their tax package does not add considerably to the federal debt. In an interview with Time published on Friday, Mr. Trump suggested that he liked the idea of making millionaires pay higher taxes to help offset tax cuts for others but also said it would be politically untenable. Some of the cuts the administration is envisioning could exacerbate the federal deficit. The White House is looking to reduce about $2.5 billion from the budget of the Internal Revenue Service with the goal of ending the Biden administration's 'weaponization of I.R.S. enforcement,' which it said targeted conservatives and small businesses. Budget scorekeepers have previously said that cuts to the I.R.S. would reduce the amount of revenue coming into the government, since it would make it harder for the tax collector to go after businesses and people who owe money but do not pay. In many cases, the draft budget slashes many federal antipoverty programs, generally by cutting their funds and consolidating them into grants sent to the states to manage. The full extent of those changes is not clear, but the result could be fewer programs and dollars serving low-income Americans, who may be at risk of losing some benefits. Among the most prominent programs that could be eliminated is Head Start, which provides early education and child care for some of the nation's poorest children. Documents reviewed by The Times show the White House is considering a $12.2 billion cut, which would wipe out the program. The budget document says Head Start uses a 'radical' curriculum and gives preference to illegal immigrants. A description of the program also criticizes it for diversity, equity and inclusion programming and the use of resources that encourage toddlers to welcome children and families with different sexual orientations. Despite the Trump administration's pledge to make housing more affordable, the budget draft would reduce funding for several programs that support housing developments or provide rental assistance. The budget proposes saving $22 billion by replacing the Department of Housing and Urban Development's rental assistance programs with a state-based initiative that would have a two-year cap on rent subsidies for healthy adults. The draft budget also eliminates the Home Investment Partnerships Program, cutting the $1.25 billion fund that provides grants to states and cities for urban development projects on the basis that it is 'duplicative' of other federal housing programs. It also cuts the $644 million housing block grant programs for Native Americans and Native Hawaiians, saying that these would be unnecessary because of new, unspecified initiatives such as enhanced 'opportunity zones' that would give states greater incentives to provide affordable housing. The overhaul of the nation's health research apparatus, a few years after the coronavirus pandemic killed millions of people around the world, could also be drastic, with about $40 billion in proposed cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services. The draft budget recommends cutting $8.8 billion from the National Institutes of Health, which it declared has 'broken the trust of the American people with wasteful spending, misleading information, risky research and the promotion of dangerous ideologies that undermine public health.' The proposal would consolidate and shrink some of the agency's core functions that focus on chronic diseases and epidemics. It would entirely eliminate funding for some divisions, such as the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, which would lose the $534 million that it currently receives. The budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be almost halved, to $5.2 billion from $9.2 billion. Associated programs such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response would be eliminated. A note in the preliminary document refers to overdose prevention funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as the 'Biden crack pipe.' Although Mr. Trump has said he prioritizes 'law and order' in his presidency, his budget proposes about $2 billion of combined cuts to the F.B.I., the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The D.E.A. cuts would scale back international counternarcotics efforts in European countries that are equipped to crack down on drug trafficking. The A.T.F. cuts would eliminate offices at the agency that the Trump administration says have 'criminalized law-abiding gun ownership through regulatory fiat.' The proposal said the goal was to invest in getting F.B.I. agents into the field and to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the bureau that were 'pet projects' of the Biden administration. 'Importantly, this administration is committed to undoing the weaponization of the F.B.I. that pervaded during the previous administration, which included targeting peaceful, pro-life protesters, concerned parents at school board meetings and citizens opposed to radical transgender ideology,' said the note explaining the proposed cuts. As part of Mr. Trump's 'America First' approach, the budget draft calls for more than $16 billion in combined cuts for economic and disaster support for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia, as well as humanitarian and refugee assistance and U.S.A.I.D. operations. 'To ensure every tax dollar spent puts America First, all foreign assistance is paused,' the draft budget document said. 'To be clear, this is not a withdrawal from the world.'
New York Times
25-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Trump Budget to Take Ax to ‘Radical' Safety Net Programs
The Trump administration, which has made clear that it aims to slash government spending, is preparing to unveil a budget proposal as soon as next week that includes draconian cuts that would entirely eliminate some federal programs and fray the nation's social safety net. The proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year would cut billions of dollars from programs that support child care, health research, education, housing assistance, community development and the elderly, according to preliminary documents reviewed by The New York Times. The proposal, which is being finalized by the White House's Office of Management and Budget, also targets longstanding initiatives that have been prized by Democrats and that Republicans view as 'woke' or wasteful spending. Technically, the president's blueprint is merely a formal recommendation to Congress, which must ultimately adopt any changes to spending. The full extent of President Trump's proposed cuts for 2026 is not yet clear. Rachel Cauley, a spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget, said in a statement that 'no final funding decisions have been made.' But early indications suggest the budget will aim to formalize Mr. Trump's disruptive reorganization of the federal government. That process — largely overseen by the tech billionaire Elon Musk — has frozen billions of dollars in aid, shuttered some programs and dismissed thousands of workers from their jobs, prompting numerous court challenges. The early blueprint reflects Mr. Trump's long-held belief that some federal antipoverty programs are unnecessary or rife with waste, fraud and abuse. And it echoes many of the ideas espoused by his budget director, Russell T. Vought, a key architect of Project 2025 who subscribes to the view that the president has expansive powers to ignore Congress and cancel spending viewed as 'woke and weaponized.' He previously endorsed some of the cuts to housing, education and other programs that Mr. Trump is expected to unveil in the coming days. The White House is expected to release the budget as soon as next week, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the highly secretive process. The president is expected to couple his blueprint for 2026 with a second measure — also set for release next week — that would slash more than $9 billion in previously approved spending for the current fiscal year, including money that funds PBS and NPR. In total, the proposed cuts are likely to inform Republican lawmakers as they look for ways to fund their economic agenda, including a package that would extend and expand a set of tax cuts enacted during Mr. Trump's first term. Their ambitions are projected to cost trillions of dollars, though Republican leaders have explored whether to invoke a budget accounting trick to make it seem as though their tax package does not add considerably to the federal debt. In an interview with Time published on Friday, Mr. Trump suggested that he liked the idea of making millionaires pay higher taxes to help offset tax cuts for others but also said it would be politically untenable. Some of the cuts the administration is envisioning could exacerbate the federal deficit. The White House is looking to reduce about $2.5 billion from the budget of the Internal Revenue Service with the goal of ending the Biden administration's 'weaponization of I.R.S. enforcement,' which it said targeted conservatives and small businesses. Budget scorekeepers have previously said that cuts to the I.R.S. would reduce the amount of revenue coming into the government, since it would make it harder for the tax collector to go after businesses and people who owe money but do not pay. In many cases, the draft budget slashes many federal antipoverty programs, generally by cutting their funds and consolidating them into grants sent to the states to manage. The full extent of those changes is not clear, but the result could be fewer programs and dollars serving low-income Americans, who may be at risk of losing some benefits. Among the most prominent programs that could be eliminated is Head Start, which provides early education and child care for some of the nation's poorest children. Documents reviewed by The Times show the White House is considering a $12.2 billion cut, which would wipe out the program. The budget document says Head Start uses a 'radical' curriculum and gives preference to illegal immigrants. A description of the program also criticizes it for diversity, equity and inclusion programming and the use of resources that encourage toddlers to welcome children and families with different sexual orientations. Despite the Trump administration's pledge to make housing more affordable, the budget draft would reduce funding for several programs that support housing developments or provide rental assistance. The budget proposes saving $22 billion by replacing the Department of Housing and Urban Development's rental assistance programs with a state-based initiative that would have a two-year cap on rent subsidies for healthy adults. The draft budget also eliminates the Home Investment Partnerships Program, cutting the $1.25 billion fund that provides grants to states and cities for urban development projects on the basis that it is 'duplicative' of other federal housing programs. It also cuts the $644 million housing block grant programs for Native Americans and Native Hawaiians, saying that these would be unnecessary because of new, unspecified initiatives such as enhanced 'opportunity zones' that would give states greater incentives to provide affordable housing. The overhaul of the nation's health research apparatus, a few years after the coronavirus pandemic killed millions of people around the world, could also be drastic, with about $40 billion in proposed cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services. The draft budget recommends cutting $8.8 billion from the National Institutes of Health, which it declared has 'broken the trust of the American people with wasteful spending, misleading information, risky research and the promotion of dangerous ideologies that undermine public health.' The proposal would consolidate and shrink some of the agency's core functions that focus on chronic diseases and epidemics. It would entirely eliminate funding for some divisions, such as the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, which would lose the $534 million that it currently receives. The budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be almost halved, to $5.2 billion from $9.2 billion. Associated programs such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response would be eliminated. A note in the preliminary document refers to overdose prevention funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as the 'Biden crack pipe.' Although Mr. Trump has said he prioritizes 'law and order' in his presidency, his budget proposes about $2 billion of combined cuts to the F.B.I., the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The D.E.A. cuts would scale back international counternarcotics efforts in European countries that are equipped to crack down on drug trafficking. The A.T.F. cuts would eliminate offices at the agency that the Trump administration says have 'criminalized law-abiding gun ownership through regulatory fiat.' The proposal said the goal was to invest in getting F.B.I. agents into the field and to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the bureau that were 'pet projects' of the Biden administration. 'Importantly, this administration is committed to undoing the weaponization of the F.B.I. that pervaded during the previous administration, which included targeting peaceful, pro-life protesters, concerned parents at school board meetings and citizens opposed to radical transgender ideology,' said the note explaining the proposed cuts. As part of Mr. Trump's 'America First' approach, the budget draft calls for more than $16 billion in combined cuts for economic and disaster support for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia, as well as humanitarian and refugee assistance and United States Agency for International Development operations. 'To ensure every tax dollar spent puts America First, all foreign assistance is paused,' the draft budget document said. 'To be clear, this is not a withdrawal from the world.'
