U.S. Labor Department cuts $38 million in foreign aid, including Uzbekistan projects

In a video message posted on her official and departmental pages, U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer emphasized that funds would no longer be allocated to projects that do not benefit the United States. "From our very first day, we prioritized American workers and made it our top mission," she stated.

It has been revealed that the Department of Labor halted $38 million in foreign aid last week. "We are eliminating programs that put America last. Taxpayer money will no longer be spent on projects such as ensuring transparency in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry," said Chavez-DeRemer.

"At the direction of President Trump, we have wasted no time in executing our mission. Last week, the department terminated several foreign aid grants, saving over $38 million. I bet you didn’t even know that your hard-earned tax dollars were being spent on things like enhancing transparency and accountability in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry, promoting policies related to so-called "climate-change" programs in Brazil and Colombia, supporting collective bargaining in Indonesia and Guatemala, and overseeing labor standards in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Simply put, we are eliminating programs that put America last," she said.

At the end of her message, the secretary added that her team is actively seeking more ways to cut spending.

"I have instructed my team here at Labor to identify more opportunities to save you money. I’ll keep fighting to put the American workers first by getting rid of waste, fraud and abuse and I’ll ensure these dollars are invested back into our workforce,” the Labor Secretary concluded.

It should be noted that prior to this, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had also halted funding, causing nearly all programs in Uzbekistan to be put on hold.