A top Senate Republican urged President Donald Trump’s pick for the No. 2 role at the White House budget office to ease off certain funding freezes underway in the administration.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the Budget Committee chair, told Office of Management and Budget nominee Dan Bishop that the funding freezes — many of which remain embroiled in legal battles — have at points targeted programs that need funding.
He specifically pointed to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and foreign aid programs for Afghan women as examples of programs that have been wrongfully defunded.
“I am for eliminating waste and relooking at the government. But I’ll be honest with you — if PEPFAR is shut down, that’s bad,” Graham said. “In the process of eliminating programs that make no sense, making them more efficient, I think it’s important we realize there are some things in this world we need to do.”
