America gets back as much as it gives in foreign aid

How much of the United States federal budget goes to foreign aid? When the Kaiser Family Foundation asked that question in a 2015 poll, nearly a fifth of people couldn’t even venture to guess. Of those who answered, most said between 5 and 51 percent, and 10 percent of those thought we give away half of our nearly $3.8 trillion federal budget to other nations.

In reality, foreign assistance makes up less than 1 percent of the U.S. budget. Another 1 percent or so funds the State Department. In comparison, America spends nearly five times as much on interest on our national debt.

What do Americans get in return for foreign assistance? A lot.

Read more in The Baltimore Sun, where this article was originally published.