The art of the ask: Foreign aid isn’t a campaign ‘slush fund’

Arms sales and foreign aid have long been a part of the United States’ carrot-and-stick approach to foreign policy. But President Donald Trump’s call with the Ukrainian leader is something entirely different.

Making access to American weapons or dollars contingent upon behaviors that support U.S. interests is standard procedure.

In that regard, Trump’s withholding of nearly $400 million in military aid for Ukraine for much of the summer — the money was released on Sept. 11 — almost seems like a routine practice, business as usual in the give-and-take of international negotiations.

Read the full article and more in Roll Call.