MANCHESTER — Ahead of President Trump’s visit to Manchester today, Granite State advocates are sounding the alarm about the Administration’s plan to cut more than $4 billion in Congressionally authorized and appropriated foreign aid.

According to reports, Mick Mulvaney, the acting Chief of Staff to President Trump and the Director of the Office of Management, is preparing to send a rescissions package to Capitol Hill that would cut programs that help international narcotics control and law enforcement, promote nutrition to combat starvation, and enable communities to get electricity for the first time, while Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump and Vice President Mike Pence’s projects will be spared the guillotine.

Statement from Susan Pillsbury, a Manchester-based volunteer with The ONE Campaign:

“As a proud American and Granite Stater, I believe our generosity towards vulnerable people represents the best of American values around the world and is in our best economic and security interests. These cuts would only undermine that, and I urge powerful voices in the White House like Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump and leaders in Congress like Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan to raise concerns about the Trump administration’s reckless attempt to cut more than $4 billion in Congressionally authorized and appropriated foreign aid.

“America’s investment in fighting extreme poverty is less than 1 percent of the budget but does a world of good. U.S. leadership on global health, gender equality, national security and economic opportunity has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, turned the tide against deadly diseases, and made America safer.

“The only thing stopping the Trump administration from cutting foreign aid are leaders in the White House and Congress who can serve as voices of reason. My neighbors and I care deeply about this issue and we hope Ivanka Trump and Senators Shaheen and Hassan share these concerns directly with the Office of Management and Budget.”

For more information, please contact Sean Simons, [email protected].

ONE is a global movement campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030, so that everyone, everywhere can lead a life of dignity and opportunity. We are nonpartisan and pressure governments to do more to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, and empower citizens to hold their governments to account. Read more at www.one.org.