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USAID inspector fired after revealing nearly $500m in food aid was about to spoil
(www.independent.co.uk)
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this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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It is an incredibly fair question, and part (not all for sure) but part of the reason is the United States offered, both because it's a traditionally liberal Democracy, but also because it's wanted to project the soft power, that comes with donating Billions in aid to nation which it hope will look upon the US favorably when it come to Trade & Security negotiations. It's serves the US to project and maintain this soft power, and it assists Tyrants and Democratically elected governments all across the world assist their own citizens, for "free". Some nations have become so dependent on the "free" USAID it's not even an afterthought in it's own budgetary process, and for most of the USAID recipients they simply cannot make up the financial shortfall to fund these programs on a dime, most couldn't ever pay for these programs out of their own budgets ever. Some countries take advantage of the US, countries who can easily pay for the same services that USAID funding provides, but would choose not to because when put to the choice, they'd choose to let their people suffer.
Another factor is this: Where do the physical goods come from that USAID sends? Answer: US businesses. The food? US farmers. Weapons? US contractors. Medical supplies? US suppliers. All the money "given" to foreign countries by USAID is actually given to Americans, buying their goods in order to give them to foreign countries. It's a huge economic boon that flew under the radar all this time. By destroying this program, Musk and Trump are gleefully destroying the livelihoods of thousands of Americans, if not millions after their efforts collapse the food supply and possibly the US dollar if they try hard enough.
That's not even getting into things like USAID providing medical supplies to developing nations dealing with communicable yet curable diseases like Tuberculosis. Destroying these diseases in the developing world helps protect Americans. To walk back that work is absurdly shortsighted.