From the article:
The Trump administration has decided to steer humanitarian aid funding to Christian and other minority communities in Iraq, against the advice of some officials at the State Department and others at the United Nations, who initially feared the move could backfire.
...Despite the strident rhetoric from Pence and some lawmakers, in the end the administration’s approach does not represent a radical departure for humanitarian aid programs, said Jeremy Konyndyk of the Center for Global Development, who worked as director of USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance under the Barack Obama administration.
“There’s not an indication that it’s compromising program integrity in some way,” Konyndyk said. “It’s not setting off red lights for me.”
Still, a perception that America is favoring one religious community over another could antagonize the Iraqi government and further damage U.S. credibility, former officials said.
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