Trump Aides Circulate Plan For Complete Revamp Of Foreign Aid Programs

State Department officials have crafted a proposal to restructure the entire U.S. international aid and development architecture, one that they describe as leaner, more focused and better positioned to take on China.

The plan, laid out in a document obtained by POLITICO, would include:

— Changing the name of the U.S. Agency for International Development to the U.S. Agency for International Humanitarian Assistance; severely curbing its focus to issues such as global health, food security and disaster response; and embedding it within the State Department.

— Placing the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency under the auspices of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. The combined entity would focus on promoting private sector investment, especially in areas such as infrastructure, energy and technology. The document says the new approach would be a powerful counterweight to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which Beijing has used to gain economic and diplomatic footholds in many countries.

— Moving all, or virtually all, “politically oriented” programs that the Trump administration may wish to pursue under the State Department. This includes promoting democracy and religious freedom, empowering women and fighting human trafficking. Many of these efforts already exist under the State Department, but it’s possible that similar efforts at USAID or other agencies and department could be moved to State.

It was not immediately clear whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio or other senior Trump administration officials have signed off on the proposal, and some changes, such as placing one agency under another, likely will require congressional authorization.

But the overall vision appears to match many of President Donald Trump’s priorities, including finding ways to improve U.S. access to energy sources.

Spokespeople for the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.