President Biden’s spending plan for foreign programs increases support for two urgent challenges to the United States: curbing the pandemic and addressing a surge in mass migration from Central America. It calls for $10 billion for global health programs — including, notably, $1 billion for security efforts to detect, prevent and respond to future pandemics. Officials said that amounted to a more than $800 million increase for global health security than the United States contributed last year. The money would be the first tranche of a four-year plan to ultimately spend $4 billion to help stabilize those countries and end the migrants’ need to flee. Thematically, the spending plans for the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other foreign programs reflect what Mr. Biden has long promised: to shore up American alliances around the globe.

Source: International New York Times April 09, 2021 16:07 UTC