Budget Cuts Could Damage Obama Administration’s Plans To Beef Up State Department, USAID
Due to Congress' proposals to cut spending for the State Department, the Obama administration is increasingly looking toward new funding mechanisms, referred to as blended funds, that pull from Defense Department budgets for activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, CQ reports. But that strategy could "undercut the Obama administration's efforts to create a more robust State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)" and "create significant congressional oversight challenges," the news service adds.