House Republicans defied many of the White House’s requests for cuts to programs that don’t align with the president’s “America First” agenda.

In May, the Office of Management and Budget submitted its fiscal year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request, asking Congress to cut funding to programs accused of wasting taxpayer dollars pushing left-wing ideology abroad. While the House Appropriations Committee reduced or eliminated funding for some of the requests, many remain untouched or barely adjusted.

For instance, OMB requested the elimination of funding to the Asia Foundation and the East-West Center, which previous administrations have used for advice on how to deal with China.

However, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., the House Appropriations Committee member who sponsored the bill, included only minor cuts to the two programs, cutting the Asia Foundation by $5 million and the East-West Foundation by $5.3 million.

The Asia Foundation will receive $17 million and the East-West Foundation will receive $16.7 million. Both programs are receiving close to $17 million more than what the president requested.

The Trump administration asked Congress to eliminate funding for the Democracy Fund, yet........

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