By MARSHA MERCER
President Donald Trump’s budget for the fiscal year
that begins in October likely will include a $54 billion hike in defense
spending and drastic cuts in the State Department and foreign aid to pay for it.
But it’s far from a sure thing. The president’s budget
is a proposal or starting point. Congress has the final word and will begin
work on the budget later this month.
Americans believe we spend too much on foreign aid,
polls show, although people have misconceptions about what’s called “soft
power” – humanitarian relief, economic development and anti-poverty programs,
among others.
Think you know foreign aid? Before the debate begins, test
your smarts with our 10-question quiz. Answers are below. Good luck!
1) How
much of the federal budget goes to foreign aid?
A. 31
percent
B. 26
percent
C. 15
percent
D. 1
percent
2) Roughly
how much will the United States spend this year on foreign assistance?
A. $100.5
billion
B. $75
billion
C. $36.5
billion
D. $20
million
3) How
many countries around the world receive U.S. foreign aid?
A. 50
B. 75
C. More
than 100
D. More
than 200
4) Which
country receives the most foreign assistance from the United States?
A. Iraq
B. Afghanistan
C. Egypt
D. Israel
5) The
United States provides more foreign aid than any other nation. How much of the
world’s development assistance comes from the United States?
A. 24
percent
B. 30
percent
C. 50
percent
D. 65
percent
6) The
United States hasn’t always been the No. 1 donor. Which country provided more
foreign aid between the years of 1989 and 2001?
A. United
Arab Emirates
B. Japan
C. Saudi
Arabia
D. Qatar
7) Where
does the money go? Pick the largest program category.
A. Peace
and security
B. Humanitarian
assistance
C. Health
D. Economic
development
8) Where
else? Which of these smaller categories distributes the most money?
A. Environment
B. Education
and social services
C. Democracy,
human rights and governance
9) The
State Department and USAID are two of the federal agencies involved in foreign
aid. How many agencies in total provide foreign assistance?
A. 10
B. 20
C. 25
10)
Name that tweeter: “Foreign aid is not
charity. We must make sure it is well spent, but it is less than 1% of budget
& critical to our national security.”
A. Hillary
Clinton
B. Marco
Rubio
C. Barack
Obama
D. Mitt
Romney
ANSWERS:
1 1) D. Foreign assistance was 1.3 percent of federal
budget authority in fiscal 2015, the Congressional Research Service reported in
June. Americans’ average guess is 31 percent, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll
found last year. Only about three people in 100 knew foreign aid is about 1
percent.
2 2) C.
Tallies vary from $31.3 billion to $39.9 billion, depending on the kinds of
assistance included and how the calculations are made, according to PolitiFact.
The $36.5 billion figure comes from foreignassistance.gov, a federal site that
collects data from federal agencies involved in foreign aid.
3 3) C.
Source: foreignassistance.gov
4 4) D.
Israel -- $3.1 billion this year, increasing to $3.8 billion after 2017,
followed by Egypt, Afghanistan and Iraq. (foreignassistance.gov)
5 5) A.
24 percent in 2014 (Congressional Research Service)
6 6) B.
Japan took the lead when foreign aid spending by the United States declined
after the Cold War ended. United States spending rose after 9/11, surpassing
Japan. (Congressional Research Service)
7 7) C.
Health at $9.3 billion in 2017, followed by Peace and Security at $8.3 billion,
Humanitarian Assistance at $6.0 billion, and Economic Development at $3.7
billion (foreignassistance.gov)
8 8) C.
Democracy at $2.7 billion, followed by Environment at $1.3 billion and
Education at $1.1 billion (foreignassistance.gov)
9 9) B.
These include the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human
Services, Labor and Treasury as well as such independent agencies as the Peace
Corps and Millenium Challenge Corporation.
1 10)
B. Sen. Rubio of Florida on Feb. 28, 2017.
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