With the return of Donald Trump to the Presidency, we have already seen some of the biggest foreign policy blunders in my lifetime. Now, this is not to say nothing good has happened. The President has returned Cuba to the list of “state-sponsors of terrorism,” reversing a Biden policy blunder, and is working to combat Chinese influence in Panama and the rest of Latin America. However, all of this is overshadowed by one thing: the President’s effective elimination of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
While unfortunate, USAID was always going to be the perfect target for the new President and his supposably “America First” agenda. The work USAID does is not glamorous, and for the average American, it can be hard to understand why our taxpayer money is being shipped off to help countries worldwide. However, the Trump/Musk administration’s dismantling of USAID will deal significant economic and national security damage to the United States in the long term.
As stated by President Kennedy (who created USAID), foreign aid helps extend “ [our] influence for the maintenance of freedom.” USAID does critical humanitarian work, such as the promotion of public health, food assistance, and providing education. USAID also provides funding to pro-democracy and anti-autocrat organizations in dictatorships around the world. Furthermore, the humanitarian aid itself helps boost our relationships with partners around the world, and combats Chinese influence, especially in Africa and Latin America.
If you don't believe me, just listen to Russia who called USAID a “machine for interfering,” or to the countries now turning to China for aid instead of the US.
The defense given by the administration for the cuts to USAID is that it’s riddled with “wasteful spending.” To prove these claims, Republicans in Congress– who seem to be unable to say “no” to the President– have found a small handful of examples of wasteful spending. The only problem? Most are either completely false or misleading, of course with a little bit of transphobia mixed in.
Yet, with a few false claims, the administration has fired more than 95% of USAID employees, which makes no significant impact on the US fiscal outlook. So, what is their motivation? What if the real reason might just be that many of the dictators USAID targeted are close with the President, who is now hinting towards a 3rd term?
Many of the dictators Trump has claimed to oppose such as Xi Jinping, Nicolas Maduro, and Vladimir Putin, have been surprised by the President’s newfound comfort with them in his second term. To add to the fire, many of them have been directly hurt by the actions of USAID.
But, the Trump administration's cuts to USAID are just a small part of Trump’s attacks on American civil society.
The new President has taken aim at a variety of core elements of our democratic institutions: from the National Institutes of Health to the Department of Education, to the Department of Justice, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the goal is clear: they want to dismantle anyone who may hold them accountable while also trying to further incite distrust of democratic institutions.
Unfortunately, Democrats seem to have proved themselves handicapped in meaningfully combatting the cuts.
While Democrats have tirelessly defended USAID and other agencies from cuts on a level of morals, but have failed to reasonably explain what the cuts will mean to America’s working families, many of whom view government institutions with great skepticism.
I want to end on a good note, but the reality seems quite grim. We are not even a month into the circus taking over Washington, D.C. and so far the new President is even worse than I expected. However, Americans will have the opportunity to elect their Senators and Representatives in 2 short years, and the fight to retake Congress starts now.
While Trump may have already seriously damaged our democracy, it is not broken. All we need is an effective opposition. The situation Democrats are in is not unprecedented, but winning once again will take some soul-searching from the party.
Photo Credit:
[1]- The White House
[2]-Refugees International
[3]-Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images
Sources-
[11]-https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-calls-xi-jinping-brilliant-hollywood-good-looks-brains-2023-4
[17]-https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-what-is-the-cfpb-refunds/
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