Where the United States spends the most on foreign aid

Debate over U.S. aid to Israel and Ukraine has dominated Washington this year, with questions surrounding U.S. economic and military assistance to various allies and whether the country is spending significant aid abroad. The question arises.

Opposition to foreign aid is growing within the Republican Party, which says the U.S. needs to spend more on border security.

The debate is likely to color this year’s presidential election, with former President Trump’s re-election and his America First movement potentially raising questions about funding for some partners.

See where the United States spent the most on foreign aid this year and why.

All numbers are based on State Department spending for fiscal year 2023 and include last month’s foreign aid spending to Israel and Ukraine.

ukraine

$78.3 billion

After months of political battles over whether to continue supporting the country against Russian aggression, Congress allocated $61 billion to Ukraine in a foreign aid package signed late last month.

The funding is nearly double the amount the United States has invested in Ukraine since the war began in early 2022, bringing total spending on the conflict to about $137 billion in military and economic aid. According to the Kiel Institute.

Almost all of the military spending in the new aid package will go to domestic weapons manufacturers, including replenishing stockpiles sent to Ukraine to fight Russia. It also includes about $8 billion for the country’s economic development and recovery.

The spending deal split the Republican House majority after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and two other Republicans called the aid package their last policy. House Speaker Johnson (R-Louisiana) was nearly ousted. It is impossible to submit a motion to resign as chairman. Johnson survived the vote with support from Democrats.

The war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for months, with Ukrainian leaders complaining that supplies are dwindling as U.S. arms shipments from a December 2022 aid package dry up.

“After months of MAGA Republicans blocking aid, Ukraine is running low on shells and ammunition,” Biden said when signing the new aid package last month. “Meanwhile, Putin’s friends continue to keep him well-fed.”

The new $61 billion in spending is on top of the roughly $17 billion spent last year earmarked for 2022.

Israel

$21.6 billion

Israel has been the largest recipient of US foreign aid since World War II. According to , the country has accepted more than $300 billion since 1946. council on foreign relationsmore than $220 billion of which is military aid.

Congress, long considered America’s closest ally in the Middle East, has consistently appropriated $3 billion to $4 billion a year for Israel’s defense since the 1970s. Almost all of this money will be provided through a State Department program that allows Israel to purchase American-made weapons and munitions free of charge.

That trend bucked late last month, when a long-awaited foreign aid package included about $15 billion in military aid to Israel as it continues its war with Hamas in Gaza. The package is the largest single-year aid allocation to Israel in at least 50 years, according to the report. CouncArticles about diplomatic relations.

“We will make sure that Israel always has what it needs to protect itself from Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists,” Biden said when signing the aid package.

President Biden last week put a hold on arms shipments to Israel as part of a pressure campaign urging Israel not to invade the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Biden has said the U.S. would halt future arms shipments if Israel enters the city, but Israeli leaders said Thursday they would likely halt this with or without U.S. assistance. .

Jordan

$3.2 billion

According to the State Department and USAID, Jordan is the third largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid. expense tracker. About half of the funds allocated to the country in 2023 were military aid.

That spending is already helping in the Israel-Hamas war, as Jordan last month joined the United States in defending Israel from a wave of Iranian drone and missile attacks. The unprecedented attack on Israel was completely thwarted by the coordinated defense of the three countries.

Jordan also assisted the United States with airlifting humanitarian aid to Gaza during the height of the conflict in March.

Egypt

$2.9 billion

Foreign spending in Egypt came under increased scrutiny last year after the indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez (DN.J.).

Menendez, who resigned as head of the foreign affairs committee amid the investigation, is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of thousands in bribes from Egyptian interests.

After the indictment, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who took over as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee following Menendez’s resignation, withheld $235 million from Egypt, citing the country’s stubborn stance on human rights and press freedom. criticized the performance.

In October, Cardin said, “Parliament must make clear through legislation that the Egyptian government’s record on a range of important human rights issues, good governance, and the rule of law needs to improve if bilateral relations are to be maintained.” “I am doing so,” he said.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on a comparable House committee, made a similar request several weeks ago.

The controversy arises because of Egypt’s central role in the Israel-Hamas war. Egyptian diplomats are acting as intermediaries between Israel, the United States and Hamas, and last week Cairo hosted ceasefire talks.

ethiopia

2 billion dollars

The allocation to Ethiopia is almost entirely humanitarian aid, as regions of the country suffer from severe hunger and civil unrest. The northern region of Tigray descended into ethnic conflict in 2022, with rebels and government forces facing off as thousands starved to death.

USAID resumed food aid to the region in December, five months after taking the unusual step of halting a nationwide program over a massive corruption scandal involving local officials.

A rare combination of drought, conflict, and other factors disrupting food supplies has made Ethiopia one of the largest recipients of U.S. humanitarian aid. About one-sixth of Ethiopians were receiving food aid before the food theft was discovered early last year.

Nigeria

1.5 billion dollars

Nigeria’s foreign aid spending is focused on health care and food access. The United States spent about $250 million in 2023 to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS in the country, and another $130 million on other health needs, according to USAID.

Food is in critical need in some parts of the country, resulting in an additional $2.5 billion in food access and other spending requested by the State Department as an “emergency response.”

Most of the support is raised through non-governmental organizations and charities operating within the country.

Somalia

$1.3 billion

Nearly all of the funding allocated to Somalia is designated as emergency food access, as the country continues to struggle after decades of civil war.

About $700 million of the spending came from a partnership with the United Nations, which has remained a constant presence in Somaliland for decades amid a civil war with independent Somaliland.

Just over $100 million is earmarked to fund UN peacekeeping operations in the country.

kenya

$1.1 billion

In Kenya, U.S. humanitarian assistance extends to health, food access, and economic development.

The biggest spend came from the region’s partnership with the World Food Programme, with governments also investing significant funds to fight the HIV and AIDS epidemic and support local agriculture.