The reelection of President-elect Trump has once again surfaced the important question: Why does the U.S. spend taxpayer dollars to support the developing world?

The purpose of foreign economic assistance has evolved since after World War II when the Marshall Plan helped to ensure that Western Europe remained free from the reach of the Soviet Union.

As the Cold War intensified, President Truman launched the Point Four Program that expanded U.S. support globally. The program focused on creating markets for the United States by reducing poverty and increasing production in developing countries and diminishing the threat of communism by helping countries prosper from capitalism.

President John F. Kennedy created the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1961 to centralize U.S. assistance programs as part of a broader diplomatic and defense effort to counter communist influence.

Over the last 50 years, development priorities have adapted to address shifting global challenges, including absolute poverty, democratic backsliding and emerging health crises. Currently, 20 U.S. agencies (international and domestic) are involved in disbursing foreign aid.

Focusing U.S. foreign economic assistance is more vital than ever to address the geopolitical threat from China as Washington is........

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