The United States’ contributions to international nuclear security and verification organizations would not be reduced under the White House’s fiscal 2018 budget proposal, despite significant proposed cuts to the overall State Department budget.
A State Department official said by email this week that the United States’ voluntary contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was not reduced in President Donald Trump’s budget proposal; neither was the U.S. contribution to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Preparatory Commission, other than an exchange rate adjustment.
The Trump administration has proposed some funding decreases in fiscal 2018 to the State Department’s arms control and nonproliferation work.
The administration requested $312.8 million for nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, demining and related programs, down from the current $500.7 million. This account includes the U.S. contribution to the IAEA and the CTBTO Preparatory Commission – but it is now clear this decrease would not affect U.S. involvement in the international organizations that coordinate global nuclear security activities and host the International Monitoring System.
The United States is the IAEA’s top financial contributor, providing nearly $200 million per year to the agency – roughly 25 percent of its annual budget. The United States also contributes around $32 million per year to the CTBTO, also about one-quarter of its total budget. It also hosts the greatest number of the CTBTO’s International Monitoring System facilities: hundreds of monitoring stations and labs worldwide that detect underground, underwater, or atmospheric nuclear tests.
The State Department official said the budget proposal “reflects the U.S. commitment to remain engaged with the [IAEA] and to support their work implementing safeguards and promoting nuclear safety, security, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy,” adding that congressional consideration of the president’s budget request is likely to take several months before reaching an agreement on final appropriation levels for the next fiscal year.
Overall, the Trump administration requested $37.6 billion for State and U.S. Agency for International Development: a 30-percent decrease from the $53.1 billion the department currently receives.
