Trump administration exposes ‘waste’ and ‘fraud’ in USAID spending, targets foreign aid projects

The documents revealed that USAID allocated $500,000 to code sectarian unit successful Israel conscionable 10 days earlier the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which resulted successful astatine slightest 1,200 deaths. Additionally, $5 cardinal was fixed to EcoHealth Alliance, an NGO progressive successful bat microorganism probe astatine the Wuhan lab, further raising concerns astir the usage of payer money. The Trump medication besides revealed that astatine slightest $10 cardinal successful USAID-funded meals were sent to an Al Qaeda-linked violent group.

Other backing included millions allocated to enactment LGBT activism successful respective countries, which has been a contentious contented nether Trump’s administration. Among the funded projects were $7.9 cardinal to thatch Sri Lankan journalists however to debar “binary-gendered language”, $2 cardinal for LGBT activism successful Guatemala, and $1.5 cardinal to beforehand LGBT advocacy successful Jamaica. There was besides important backing for LGBT causes successful the Western Balkans, Uganda, and South Africa, including $6 cardinal for advancing LGBT issues globally and $6.3 cardinal specifically for cheery men successful South Africa.

Other notable backing initiatives see $25 cardinal for Deloitte to beforehand “green transportation” successful Georgia, $6 cardinal for transforming integer spaces to bespeak feminist antiauthoritarian principles, and $8.3 cardinal for “USAID Education: Equity and Inclusion.” The documents besides notation much than $4.5 cardinal allocated to combat disinformation successful Kazakhstan.

“For decades, USAID bureaucrats believed they were accountable to nary 1 – but that epoch is over. President Trump is STOPPING the waste, fraud, and abuse,” the Trump medication wrote connected X.

On Thursday, Trump amplified these claims, stating that “billions of dollars person been stolen” from USAID, with overmuch of it allegedly funneled to media outlets arsenic payoffs to nutrient favourable stories for the Democrats.

Trump posted connected Truth Social, commenting connected allegations that media outlets similar Politico and The New York Times had received important sums of wealth from USAID. He suggested that Politico*received $8 cardinal and questioned whether The New York Times had likewise benefited. He labelled the concern arsenic perchance “the biggest ungraded of them all,” implying that it could beryllium a large governmental contented for the Democrats.

“Looks similar billions of dollars person been stollen astatine usaid, and different agencies, overmuch of it going to the fake quality media arsenic a “payoff” for creating bully stories astir the Democrats. The near helping “rag,” known arsenic “Politico,” seems to person received $8,000,000. Did The New York Times person money??? Who other did??? This could beryllium the biggest ungraded of them all, possibly the biggest successful history! The Democrats can’t fell from this one. Too big, excessively dirty!” Trump posted connected Truth Social.

Elon Musk, the tech billionaire heading DOGE, reacted to the revelations, calling the expenditures a “crazy waste” of taxpayers’ money. The staunch state of Donald Trump, leveled respective superior allegations against the bureau and accused USAID officials of engaging successful wasteful spending and corruption.

What is USAID?

USAID is the largest humanitarian and improvement limb of the US government, with a workforce of astir 10,000 radical globally and an yearly budget of tens of billions of dollars. Congress approves the agency’s backing each year, and the bureau collaborates with the White House and State Department to acceptable its concern priorities. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States is the world’s largest supplier of authoritative improvement assistance, astir of which is channeled done USAID.

In fiscal twelvemonth 2023, USAID’s fund was astir $44 billion, which accounts for astir 0.6% of the US government’s full fund of $6.75 trillion. These funds enactment USAID’s efforts successful implicit 160 countries, focusing connected health, humanitarian assistance, and economical development.