On March 10, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that after six weeks of review, the US officially cancelled 83% of the programs at the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
In a social media post on X, Rubio tweeted, “After a 6-week review, we are officially cancelling 83% of the programs at USAID.”
“The 5,200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve (and in some cases even harmed) the core national interests of the United States.”
The same tweet mentioned, ” In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping (approximately 1000) to now be administered more effectively under the State Department. Thank you to DOGE and our hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform.”
Trump’s crackdown on Foreign Aid
Notably, after Trump’s return to the White House, one of his first actions was ordering an immediate 90-day suspension of all foreign aid. The justification was given that the institution has wasted American money, which has not yielded substantial results for the US.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was established under the leadership of businessman and Trump’s closest, Elon Musk, to watch over and audit the funds the USAID provides. Trump’s decision to look after funds was driven by an idea of ‘America First’, which envisaged taking care of America and Americans first.
Several staff members were laid off, and contracts were terminated, creating fear and chaos within the administration and worldwide. According to Aid groups, areas in critical need of assistance are now seriously threatened, such as famine prevention in the DR Congo or clean drinking water in Burkina Faso. However, the Trump administration thinks that Americans should be more concerned about Americans than someone from other parts of the world.
Experts consider the cuts to be a historic departure from the US traditional foreign policy that was strengthening alliances through aid to doubling down on Trump’s “America First” ideology. The Musk-led DOGE project was established to advance the ideology, and the department is doing its work right by cutting government spending while consolidating agencies under the Executive Branch.
USAID: A History of Controversial Spending
USAID was founded in 1961 to deliver humanitarian aid in critical regions around the world. Although the agency operates directly in 60 countries, most of the work is done by contractors who receive funding from USAID. The work often includes funding regime change, increasing voting turnout and funding news portals to run perceptions in the curtain of disease and famine prevention, providing vaccinations, and disaster relief.
With a reported budget of over $40 billion (€37 billion) in 2023, the agency is one of the largest spenders on global aid.
A document released which evaluated the USAID spending it says USAID funded $500 thousand to solve sectarian violence in Israel, just 10 days before the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas that killed at least 1,200 people. It also gave $5 million to EcoHealth Alliance – one of the key NGOs funding bat virus research at the Wuhan lab.
Also Read: USAID funded transgender clinics in India, forced to shut down after Trump aid freeze
Trump administration said, At least $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals were sent to an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group. The reports further showed that USAID funded millions of dollars to countries for LGBT groups and their activism – a topic that Mr Trump is trying to eliminate from the US.
The allocated funds include $7.9 million for training Sri Lankan journalists to avoid “binary-gendered language,” $2 million for sex reassignment procedures and LGBT activism in Guatemala, $1.1 million for an Armenian LGBT organization, and $1.5 million to support LGBT advocacy efforts in Jamaica. Additionally, $2 million has been designated to promote LGBT equality through entrepreneurship in Latin America, $3.9 million for LGBT initiatives in the Western Balkans, $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda, $6 million to advance LGBT issues in priority countries worldwide, and $6.3 million for programs focused on men who have sex with men in South Africa.
Beyond these allocations, USAID has provided $25 million to Deloitte for promoting “green transportation” in Georgia, $6 million to reshape digital spaces in line with feminist democratic values, $1.3 million to support Arab and Jewish photographers, and $8.3 million for the “USAID Education: Equity and Inclusion” initiative, according to the Trump administration. Furthermore, over $4.5 million has been allocated to counter disinformation in Kazakhstan.
Hence, after all, it looks like a waste of American taxpayer money for unnecessary events and areas. The decision to cancel 83% of the fund by the Trump administration is to save this hefty amount of money for Americans. Funding LGBT and providing money to journalists and NGOs are not going to solve American problems. Rather, saving it can.