Trump blocks $4.9B in foreign aid Congress OK’d, using maneuver last seen nearly 50 years ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has told House Speaker Mike Johnson that he won’t be spending $ 4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch. Trump, who sent a letter to Johnson, R-La., on Thursday, is using what’s known as a pocket rescission — when a president submits a request to Congress to not spend approved funds toward the end of the fiscal year, so Congress cannot act on the request in a 45-day timeframe and the money goes unspent…

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SBIR/STTR awards remain vulnerable to foreign influence

Of the 12 agencies running the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, only one has made significant progress to prevent or limit foreign adversaries from taking advantage of the research and development funding. New data from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), chairwoman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, shows that the National Institutes of Health both flagged and denied all applications that included companies or people from places like China and Russia. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is the chairwoman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.…

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As the executive branch slashes foreign aid programs, will Congress step in?

Interview transcript: Terry Gerton: Foreign aid has probably garnered more headlines in the last two months than it has in the two years. With DOGE’s termination of most of USAID’s grants, and even more recently, the proposed reorganization of the Department of State, we’re seeing a massive realignment of the U.S. strategy when it comes to foreign aid. So Bob, what role has U.S. foreign aid funding played in global humanitarian assistance? Can you give us an idea of the impact? Bob Powers: Yes, certainly it plays a massive role…

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