US boosts aid to Jordan despite Trump threats of cuts
AMMAN, Jordan — President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on punishing countries that don’t agree with U.S. policy in the Middle East collided with reality on Wednesday as his administration announced it would boost aid to Jordan by more than $1 billion over the next five years.
Despite Trump’s repeated threats to cut assistance to such nations, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi signed the increased aid package, which represents a 27-per cent increase over current levels and is two years longer than the existing one negotiated by the Obama administration.
Tillerson called the package “a signal to the rest of the world that the U.S-Jordan partnership has never been stronger.”
Jordan is a critical American partner in the volatile Middle East but has opposed the administration’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jordan voted in December to condemn the U.S. for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and criticized the U.S. last month for withholding tens of millions of dollars in funding for Palestinian refugees, many of whom live in the country.