This is an area where there's actually significant overlap between left and right, and also where the numbers are widely misunderstood.

Total U.S. foreign aid is approximately $60 billion per year. Surveys consistently show that Americans believe foreign aid is 15-25% of the federal budget. In reality, it's less than 1%. Even eliminating it entirely wouldn't meaningfully reduce the deficit or fund domestic programs.

That said, foreign aid should absolutely be strategic, accountable, and aligned with American interests. Here's what it actually does:

Security assistance to Israel and Egypt helps maintain the Camp David peace accords that have prevented war between the two largest military powers in the Middle East for over 40 years. Aid to Ukraine is largely spent buying American weapons from American manufacturers, supporting American jobs while degrading a major adversary's military without risking American lives. Global health programs like PEPFAR have saved over 25 million lives from AIDS in Africa, building goodwill and strategic relationships.

Foreign aid also competes with China's Belt and Road Initiative. When we withdraw aid, China fills the vacuum — building ports, roads, and influence in countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This isn't charity; it's geopolitical competition.

I agree with scrutinizing every dollar. Aid that goes to corrupt governments, funds anti-American organizations, or has no strategic purpose should be cut. The UN deserves particular scrutiny — the U.S. provides 22% of the UN budget while often facing anti-American voting blocs.

But the 'take care of our own first' framing creates a false choice. We spend $6.1 trillion on the federal budget. Domestic spending dwarfs foreign aid by orders of magnitude. The problem isn't that we're sending too much abroad — it's that we're spending too much inefficiently everywhere.