Weekend Joe: USAID
- frastecon
- Sep 28
- 4 min read
Quick quiz: How much of the US budget do you think was going to USAID?
I ask because this was one of the earliest departments eliminated in the administration’s quest to conceal its billionaire tax scam.
What exactly did USAID do?
USAID focused on:
Promoted trade, investment, and job creation
Addressed global health challenges; programs were designed to combat HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis
Focused on maternal and child health, infectious diseases, and nutrition
Provided emergency relief in crises
focused on food security programs; these programs aimed to alleviate hunger and promote sustainable agriculture
improve access to clean water, and support economic development in struggling nations.
support economic development in struggling nations
fighting terrorism, human and drug trafficking, including fentanyl
So, USAID must have consumed a significant portion of the US budget right?
Polling has shown that U.S. adults overestimated the share of the federal budget that was spent on foreign aid. On average, Americans said spending on foreign aid made up 31% of the federal budget.
A March 2023 AP-NORC poll found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults believed the U.S. government was spending "too much" on foreign aid.
The Truth
In 2024, USAID comprised $40 billion, less than one percent of total federal spending.
So, why target USAID first?
The erroneous financial assumptions about the USAID spend among Americans certainly made for an easy ensuing assault on the rest of the federal budget. There was generally little understanding of the details of the USAID budget. When the USAID takedown was announced the White House floated blatant lies (anyone surprised by that?) that were only exposed after the public’s focus has moved past what quickly became a fait accompli.
What were the impacts of USAID’s demise?
USAID provided food assistance to millions of children worldwide each year. In 2021, USAID's food assistance programs reached approximately 41 million children globally.
These programs included emergency food aid, nutrition support, and school feeding initiatives.
Globally, 50% of the therapeutic foods for treating malnutrition in children were funded by USAID, and 40% of the supplies were produced in the U.S.
USAID cuts may lead to more than 14 million deaths globally, including 4.5 million children under 5 by 2030, according to UCLA School of Public Health researchers.
According to Andrew Natsios, former USAID director under George W. Bush, the USAID shutdown could also put Americans in danger.
"You have to stop the disease in the country of origin – the early warning system for the world is tied to the aid missions in the field.”
More than 80% of companies that have contracts with USAID are American.
USAID contractors have reported that they laid off nearly 13,000 American workers. The group estimates more than four times that will eventually be impacted.
USAID “provides assistance to strategically important countries and countries in conflict; leads U.S. efforts to alleviate poverty, disease, and humanitarian need; and assists U.S. commercial interests by supporting developing countries’ economic growth and building countries’ capacity to participate in world trade,” according to the Congressional Research Service.
So, what is the real endgame here?
The assumption is we Americans are too stupid (or perhaps too distracted by the sucking noise that is DT bloviating endlessly and completely randomly on any topic that hides his hideously egocentric self) to recognize the wanton cruelty that is at the center of his every action.
He promised his billionaire buddies and their corporate co-conspirators a handsome return on their investment in his re-election. The renewal of the disastrous 2017 tax cut (which has contributed $7.8 trillion to the total national debt of $38 trillion) was the downpayment. Their ROI (return on investment) for their campaign contributions will grow as regulations are dismantled allowing exploitation of national resources that will accelerate the global climate crisis and bargain basement prices on millions of acres of our national lands that will see some of our most beautiful natural treasures pillaged for profit.
Often mentioned by the oligarchs and their stooges in the current administration in Washington are the privatization of USPS; privatization of the Social Security Administration and Medicare and numerous other governmental agencies and functions. In short our federal government is viewed as a commodity to be stripped of any assets that can be turned into a quick profit or side hustle for the already uber-wealthy.
All of the “reviews” of government agencies to identify and purge “waste and fraud’ is a smokescreen. Chasing so-called “illegal aliens that are raping and plundering our country” is another part of the endeavor to obscure the real intent of this administration to move even more wealth from the 98% to the 2 %.
How do we respond?
It can be easy to fall into a deep funk. It can feel like we are powerless. Do you (like me) find yourself waking at all hours of the night wondering what comes next?
Well, we have two vitally important resources to bring to the fight. First, our voices. We can lawfully, loudly and frequently make our displeasure known. We can share our concerns and our fact-based observations with everyone within hearing. We all ( Democrats, Republicans and UNA’s) are being victimized. It is time to declare a common purpose.
We also have the vote. No excuses, no “sitting this one out to express our distain for politics”, no letting our tribal animosities get in the way of recognizing we are in a communal crisis. It is us, all of us together, who are suffering from tariffs, from substandard schools, from inadequate and costly health care, from the continuing effects of Helene, from the loss of Medicaid and SNAP.
Our voting targets are within sight and have declared themselves through their actions and their votes in Washington and Raleigh to be incapable of doing what is best for us, their constituents.
Let’s take the pledge together. We will raise our voice in opposition. Our voices will state clearly and often that we will be heard. We will stress at every opportunity that Chuck Edwards will be gone November 2026. We will elect Roy Cooper as our next Senator. We will kick Tim Moffitt, Jennifer Balkcom and Jake Johnson to the sidelines and do our part to restore veto-proof protection to our Governor, Josh Stein.
Weekend Joe
Joe Elliott
Carolann Connor
Tom Abram
🗳 Call to Action
📣 Share this post and help your friends and neighbors understand USAID, and what cuts to USAID mean for the food assistance programs that once reached approximately 41 million children globally.
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