White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday criticized the US Agency for International Development ( USAID), calling attention to projects such as$ 1.5 million for diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI ) programs in Serbia, a transgender opera in Colombia, and a DEI musical in Ireland. She called these “wasteful saving of American tax money.”
Her remarks came shortly after President Donald Trump appointed Marco Rubio as USAID’s acting acting administrator, essentially transferring the State Department’s control over the humanitarian organization.
White House censure of USAID
Speaking to reporters, Leavitt said,” If you look at the misuse and abuse that has run through USAID over the past several years, these are some of the stupid interests that the business has been spending money on —$ 1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia’s offices,$ 70, 000 for the production of a La music in Ireland,$ 47, 000 for a trans opera in Colombia, and$ 32, 000 for a trans comic book in Peru”.
She continued,” I don’t know about you, but as an American tax, I don’t want my money going towards this nonsense, and I know the British folks don’t want to either. And that’s exactly what Elon Musk has been tasked by President Trump to do—to find the scam, waste, and mistreatment out of our national authorities”.
Elon Musk calls for USAID closure
Tech businessman Elon Musk has even spoken out against USAID, calling it a” judicial business”.
In a blog on X, Musk wrote,” USAID is a legal business. Time for it to die”.
Politicians express problem
Ilhan Omar, the US agent, criticized Trump’s actions, citing a” legal crisis” and comparing the developments to the start of a dictator.
” It is really, really a sad day in America. We are going through a constitutional issue. On time one, we discussed Trump wanting to be a tyrant, and we now have it. According to Omar, this is what the end of a dictator looks like.
Elon Musk, an unaccountable businessman, is wasting no time by abusing his$ 290 million purchase to end USAID, a system that has saved millions of lives all over the world, she wrote on X. Because of this choice, real people who rely on this essential support for success will perish.
USAID team placed on left
Around 60 older USAID employees were taken on leave last week after being accused of trying to evade an executive order preventing international aid, according to CNN. After attempting to change that determination, another senior national was even put on leave, citing a lack of evidence of wrongdoing.
What is USAID?
During the Cold War, former US President John F. Kennedy established the US Agency for International Development ( USAID ) in 1961 to counteract Soviet influence with foreign aid. He sought a more effective strategy and argued that the State Department was very bureaucratic for the job.
The Foreign Assistance Act was passed by Congress, making USAID an impartial organization.
Although the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, USAID continues its activities. Supporters claim that US aid aid helps counteract Russia and China’s influence, which has its own world” Belt and Road” initiative in areas where the US even seeks partnerships.
Reviewers, however, claim that USAID applications are useless and encourage a progressive agenda.
