Vice President JD Vance defended cuts to U.S. foreign aid in remarks to the International Religious Freedom Summit Feb. 5, arguing the funds were “spreading atheism” abroad.
Although he did not name the agency, Vance’s comments came as the Trump administration moved to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, the government’s humanitarian aid agency. Elon Musk, tech billionaire and ally of President Donald Trump, targeted it for closure as part of the efforts of his Department of Government Efficiency, an unofficial task force with the stated intent of curbing federal spending. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested some of its functions would be rolled into the State Department.
“Now, our administration believes we must stand for religious freedom, not just as a legal principle, as important as that is, but as a lived reality, both within our own borders and especially outside our borders,” Vance said.
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