evidence: In the administration's debut budget in 2017, that looked like catastrophic news for those who came in second: the rest of the world, particularly low- and middle-income countries. [...] Even those working in the administration, such as Mark Green, who led the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for nearly three years until he stepped down in mid-March, admits that it was a little disconcerting. [...] But in a pattern that has been repeated every year since, Congress - where foreign aid has bipartisan support - rejected the cuts and kept spending roughly where it has been for years, at $52.5bn in 2020. That's despite attempts every year by the administration to reduce funding by between 20 and 30 per cent.