State Department spending 'simply not sustainable': US State Secretary Rex Tillerson

Tokyo: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday the level of State Department spending in the past had been "simply not sustainable" and he willingly accepted the "challenge" President Donald Trump had given.

The White House is proposing a combined $25.6 billion budget for the State Department and USAID, a 28 percent reduction from current spending, according to documents provided by the White House on Thursday.

The proposed budget cut for US diplomacy and foreign aid next year would preserve $3.1 billion in security aid to Israel but reduce funding for the United Nations, climate change and cultural exchange programs.

Tillerson was speaking in Tokyo at the beginning of his first visit to Asia as secretary of state.