Despite America's deep economic crisis, the Obama administration's 2010 budget unrolls a program to double total foreign aid, which includes that for Israel and the Palestinians, according to a budget overview released Thursday.
Israel is expected to receive $2.77 billion in aid in 2010, as called for in the memorandum of understanding in place between the two countries that increases the allocation from the $2.5b. given this year, though the specific sum wasn't detailed in the budget overview. The $3.55 trillion budget overview gave no figures for specific foreign aid programs or other spending, but focused broadly on priorities such as health care reform and education.
It did, however, indicate total spending for the State Department and other foreign operations would be $51.7b., up from the Bush administration's allocation of $47.2b. projected for 2009. In addition to the increased funding for Israel, the United States is also expected to pledge $900 million in reconstruction aid for the Palestinians at next week's donors' conference in Cairo, though it remains unclear which funding pool that money will be drawn from.
Though Israel has felt confident that it would get the funds spelled out in the MOU, questions had been raised about the Obama administration's commitment to foreign aid as a whole once the financial situation became so acute.
While US President Barack Obama initially pledged during the campaign to double annual foreign aid to $50b. over the four years of his term, foreign aid was one of the only areas Vice President Joe Biden mentioned as a possible place for cuts when asked during a debate what priorities would be reassessed in light of the financial crisis.
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