The following is a letter to the editor from Rhino Times reader Alan Burke.
True defense of the world’s “starving children”
The majority of Americans support USAID under two conditions:
- It sticks to funding basic food/water, infrastructure, health (immunizations, antibiotics, antiretrovirals, and maternal health), and education (math, science, and reading) during international humanitarian assistance,
- Domestic spending on social security, Medicare/Medicaid, VA health, and FEMA isn’t risked.
USAID’s entire purpose is to fund essential health in impoverished areas. The UN recently acknowledged that Africa depends on USAID for antiretrovirals. However, USAID diverted limited resources, tax dollars, to promote unproven extremist political agendas. In order to finance extremist ideological expenditures, other projects/priorities were sacrificed. How many more children and mothers could have been fed, clothed, educated, and healed if the money was spent as voters intended? Bureaucratic mismanagement is directly responsible for any child starved.
It’s also to blame for the resulting scrutiny. DNC politicians are making ridiculous pseudo-legal arguments. Yes, the legislature guaranteed USAID funds for essential international outreach (see above). They argue Trump is a tyrant for “dismantling USAID” and stopping spending without Congress. However, Trump cut only biased ideology expenditures and reorganized under the State Department. The money allotted by previous administrators for food, etc., will continue. If there isn’t enough food being distributed, the bureaucrats canceled it years ago to prioritize personal ideology. The more significant issue that should concern Congress (both parties) is that USAID lied by omission. They confidently diverted taxpayer money because we assumed it would feed starving children. They knew that if they overspent, they could emotionally blackmail us into giving more. They knew that if they were caught, they would accuse those who made the discovery of “starving the children.” They “played chicken” with the budget and USAID’s reputation. By winning too often, they pushed the envelope to greater fraud.
Our budget deficit has ballooned. We need to downsize programs across the board. USAID mismanagement/diversion eroded voter confidence. Administrators arrogantly responded by doubling down with the same tactics that kept us from asking questions/checking their books. This level of arrogance, fraud, and mismanagement necessitated these logical repercussions. Even staunch USAID advocates are now questioning its continued existence. Firings, reorganizations, audits, and temporary expenditure freezes are required to improve transparency and retain some of USAID’s reputation.
We need to stop being so afraid of being accused of “starving children” that we allow bureaucrats to spend fraudulently. Years of diversion have undermined USAID’s mission to reduce child starvation.
Alan Burke
Classic repeat of half-truths used by the White House to cover up their real intent with eliminating the USAID.
First the real state mission of the USAID is “to promote global stability and prosperity” by tackling challenges such as poverty, disease, and political instability.
Second the idea that USAID has ‘wasted money on DEI program’ is just more exaggeration from the White House using DEI as their ‘pretend’ enemy. Out of the 40-billion-dollar budget the White House has only found a small handful of programs they labeled as DEI (less than .005% of the total budget). In addition, all but one of those programs (5 in total) were awarded by USAID. The others were awarded by the State Department (where they plan to move the management of these Funds!!)
Third, the US is the world’s largest provider of humanitarian assistance, foreign aid accounts for less than 1 percent of the federal budget (0.35 as of 2024 budget). Seems a small percentage for helping make the world a more livable place.
Fourth, the real reason Trump wants to control USAID is to remove control of spending from Congress so he can personally direct a 40-billion-dollar slush fund. For example, the largest recipient of USAID is currently Ukraine to help fund the rebuilding of communities devastated by Trump’s buddy Putin. Wonder how Trump will claim that is DEI as he cuts it. Doesn’t really matter, he has suckered his followers with his fake enemy so well that they won’t even ask.
Wrestling control of funds from congress is step 2 in a wanna-be dictator’s move to exceed his legal authority and forego our constitution that CLEARLY gives spending authority to Congress. But we all fully understand how little respect Trump has for the Constitution given his belief that he can override it with an executive order.
But you be you.
America First, Chrissy.
An example of USAID “foreign aid” is $8 million to Sri Lankan journalist to encourage them to avoid binary language. That is $8,000,000 that American workers had to earn and have taken from them. One of scores of such examples. The putrefied nature USAID is indefensible. How can anyone be so blue-pilled as to defend corrupt government?
Proof of your claim?
Musk said it so it must be so….you know…like when he said Nuclear oversight was a waste and fired all staff responsible for overing Nuclear weapons. Or when he said millions were given to a news service Politico. LOL
Well put Alan.
USAID needs to be shut down. We should stop economic development as a foreign policy goal because it has never worked. The State Department could handle emergencies or humanitarian aid when and where needed.
The treasury department is the taxpayer’s checkbook, and we have every right to know what our dollars are being spent for. It’s not just about learning but also about being vigilant and responsible. We also need to make transparency a permanent feature of our federal government, as it ensures our scrutiny of government spending.
Let’s make America Great Again and stop the waste, fraud, and discretionary spending of taxpayer money that Congress has ignored for years. Common sense Americans have longed for the elimination of waste from our federal government. Taxpayers have been robbed for decades.
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” –Elon Musk. This quote is particularly relevant to our discussion on government spending and the need for transparency. It reminds us that even when the task seems daunting, it is our responsibility as citizens to demand accountability from our government.
Spoken like a true Christian. We, the wealthy country in the world should just let those less fortunate suffer and die…..at times due to past US foreign policies. Or in case of Ukraine, a free democracy being attacked unprovoked by a dictator.
Shoot, we should cancel FEMA and let Americans suffer too….oh right. THAT IS the plan of OUR ‘wanna-be dictator’ so he can withhold funds from states that didn’t support him in the election.
US spends less that a third of one percent of its budget via USAID.
Bit you be you.
Trump’s landslide victory was a conservative’s dream come true and a clear reflection of the widespread disappointment with Biden’s performance. It’s a sentiment that most can relate to.
Our government budget contains enormous amounts of fraud, waste, and inappropriate spending. So, let me get this right, Chrissy: You are mad at Musk for pointing out waste and fraud but not angry at our government for all its wasteful spending?
Democrats haven’t been this upset since the Republicans won the Civil War and freed enslaved people.
49% of popular vote is not a landslide?
If there is massive fraud, then do the work and find the fraud versus arbitrarily cutting entire swaths of appropriations approved by Congress (which is illegal, but conservative don’t care).
For example, with NIH arbitrary cap of 15% for overhead versus traditional 40 to 60% ignores how expensive these research labs are to build, setup, run and maintain. Especially, those labs researching genetic treatments for cancer for example. They found no fraud in the overhead charges, they just assumed. And you know what happens when we assume.
Name the fraud. And no, fraud isn’t spending on an project that you don’t ‘like’. Go ahead. I will wait.
Yeah yeah yeah…. You are such a sap! NIH and your little lying buddy Tony Fouchi brought us the very fine, deadly Covid-19 virus for just pennies on the dollar. Money well spent wouldn’t you say Chris? Oops! My mistake oh master of knowledge! I forgot the ever transparent AND honest Biden regime revealed to the sheep, um, taxpayers that the coronavirus was brought to us by Mother Nature. Something about bats, a wet market and some secret emails and back room phone conversations but as you love to sooo annoyingly say, you be you. You’re such a sap. On a side note dumbacrat, I really do appreciate a President who is finding wasteful spending and doing something about it but you being the libtard you are, you can’t piss away enough of other peoples money.
P.S. don’t worry… I’ll be me! Ha ha ha wheeew!
Landslide victory? Hardly.
He won every swing state.
Chris, where do you get your crazy ideas? It is like you live in outer space circling the globe along with all those satellites. Do you ever bump your head?
I just read the White House statement on the handful of DEI projects they found to cut from USAID. It was 4 projects, with only one over $1 million.
How about you show me any read fraud? And no, just because you don’t like the project, you don’t get to label it fraud. I am sure there is fraud. Great. Go find it and close the gaps. Not likely a project funded by Congress counts as fraud. If you want to label that wasteful it is still a stretch but that is Congress’s job. If a single person gets to control the line-item spending of the US government, THAT is will create the greatest opportunity for fraud in US history…..so…..
I will show you fraud with the announcement to buy 400 million in Tesla trucks that no one in government wants. They even tried to go back and remove the Telsa name as if American’s are stupid and don’t see this a kickback for President Muck.
Kim, you should look it up. Trump won BOTH the electoral college AND the popular vote which used to be a very very overused talking point for you college “educated” idiots or what I like call college indoctrinated or just simply… sheep. What’s really hard to understand is how you sat around gloating for four years watch Jean Karine Pierre bat her stupid eyes and lie each and every day about how spry ol crooked Joe was and then find out during the debate with Trump that YOUR president could barely put four words together. Absolutely no transparency. No press conferences unless the teleprompter was running and only pre approved questions were taken. You sat by and not only watched that despicable train wreck but applauded the shameless display of disdain for the average taxpayer. Now that there’s a man in the Oval Office who not only can answer questions by members of the press, he does. EVERY DAY!!!! Another thing is Donald Trump loves ALL Americans and doesn’t disrespect them like dopey Joe did. I can guarantee you if Donald Trump were on the tarmac while thirteen of our fine young service members caskets were being brought home Donald Trump would NEVER EVEN THINK ABOUT HIS WATCH but we’re talking about your president Crooked Joe Biden. What a piece of garbage Joe Biden was and still is. Pull your head out and look around and think for yourself. THINK!
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Chris, you are a despicable little creep who distorts what others say, so that you can feel better about yourself.
You have some serious personality issues.
More childish name calling from the child in the group. Yawn.
But you be you.
Austin Morris methinks you doth protest too much.
Methinks you have nothing substantive. Just fluff, like Chrissy.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1889882573389836730/photo/1
I sponsor a kid from Kenya. We give every month to help this child. How many kid in a foreign country do you support? I am for helping needy people, but we have them here in the US needing help. Our people comes first and USaid may have help some ,but others things was a waist of money. Money given to media outlets, sex changes etc, is not acceptable. Democrats had over $20 million hidden for their use. I agree with the President like it or not we must stop the waste. FEMA spend over $52 million housing illegals in hotels, by them cars, and houses. Democrat cared more about illegals than the people in Western NC. Don’t tell us this money was going to a good cause when it wasn’t.
Well said –
So Trump’s plan to nationbuild in Gaza to the tune of billions or trillions we do not have is ok?
Written like a true uninformed individual that has no idea of what USAID does. The ignorance is so big that I can’t even begin to start. This kind of Ignorance is what is going to destroy our democracy and our country. While the GOP has just asked for a $4 trillion deficit and at the same time they’re purchasing armored teslars at the tune of $400 million while school kids can’t get lunches in some states and veterans can’t get health care after serving their country. But yeah let’s do away with an organization that helps everybody on the planet.
…. Somebody sure is an uninformed individual, zero brain.
Classic childish conservative name calling response with zero substance or ability to actually engage or support a perspective on an issue. Just repeats and supports what he is told to say by heir dear leader Trump and President Musk.
Go ahead, defend a $4 Trillion dollar deficit by an Administration claims to cut the federal spending?
We will wait. Oh right, they haven’t told you yet what to say. Let us know when they do.
It’s called a comeback. I don’t need to rely on “experts” or studies, or peer reviewed journals, because I have a brain of my own and I use it.
You should try it.
Only a fool believes they ‘know’ all they need to know” without looking for other more experienced and educated in a particular topic. It’s the same moronic thinking that makes ‘Flat Eathers’ so common lately.
“Always remember, rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”
But you be you
PS Trump has been in office for 3 weeks. Bit early to blame him for the deficit, ain’t it?
Unless you’re a partisan knee-jerk Democrat hack.
Have you seen the spending Bill from the GOP? They aren’t cutting budget to be fiscally responsible. They are just cutting taxes to benefit themselves.
So, even if your contention is true, how does that make a President in office for 3 weeks responsible for the current deficit?
You simply refuse to acknowledge the obscene profligacy of the Biden Administration, because you are a knee-jerk Democrat hack. Reality and truth do not impinge on your consciousness.
Trump increased the deficit by $8 trillion during his first term.
President Trump approved $8.4 trillion of new ten-year borrowing during his full term in office, or $4.8 trillion excluding the CARES Act and other COVID relief.
President Biden, in his first three years and five months in office, approved $4.3 trillion of new ten-year borrowing, or $2.2 trillion excluding the American Rescue Plan.
President Trump approved $8.8 trillion of gross new borrowing and $443 billion of deficit reduction during his full presidential term.
President Biden has so far approved $6.2 trillion of gross new borrowing and $1.9 trillion of deficit reduction.
Using their own figures, they could save more money canceling Trump golf trip for a weekend and save more money than USAID spent on programs they claim are DEI based.
This is just a show to claim they are ‘cutting’ waste while Pesident Musk-Trump fleece America.
But you gotta love Trump’s banning the federal government from funding or supporting child transgender drugs, surgeries, and school teachings of Critical Race Theory, and DEI cuts from the military.
Trump could cure cancer like Biden promised to do, and Dems would still complain, saying he just put people out of jobs, and this action is racist.
What worries me is the emotional decision making and poor analysis behind President Drump/Musky. For example, their firing of those in charge of overseeing nuclear weapons. Luckly this was so blatantly stupid they were forced to rehire those individuals. How many less obvious impacts are they missing in the quick emotional cutting of spending?
not to mention that spending is legally the responsibility of congress for a reason. So rash decisions like Drump/Musky are making are avoiding by teams of Representatives from the House Chamber and their aids. And now Trump wants to impeach any judge that declares his actions illegal.
Corruption through and through and a dishonor to the constitution of the United States.
But go ahead and tell me how bad DEI is to your quality of life.
Chris, you are irrational. You spend too much time talking with your buddy, Skippy.
He really is a little wanker, isn’t he? Odious too.
I like refuting his sophistry, but somehow I always feel like I just stepped in a pile of dog s***.
More childish name calling from the child in the group. Yawn.
Yet another childish comment from the children of Rhino times. Yawn.
This … it’s as clear as day.
I think you are the one who is either misinformed or is just the average Dumbacrat. Maybe letter C
Don’t give a s about usaids.keep the money here.
You do know that the USAID purchases over $ 2billiion in US Agriculture produce as a means to feed starving people around the world. Go ahead and cut that spending overnight and see what that does to American farmers (the hardest working people in America).
RE: the Tesla trucks. They were budgeted in December by the Biden administration and the removal of the name also happened then. Nothing to do with the Trump administration. And we do know that many millions in USAID money was paid to news organizations and journalists to promote a paid for narrative that was not in the best interests of the American people. At the same time, we do need to be able to prove fraud and need the proper time and investigation to do so.
Time will tell how much fraud – and waste – there has been from previous administrations, Dem and Republican across many departments.
That’s not correct. It was just placed on Rubio’s State Dept planned procurement website. Then changed to “armored electric vehicles” when media raised the issue.
Thank goodness for my hip waders and dust mask. The BS is getting deep and the pixie dust is overwhelming. I think I can scrape up enough money to get a set of waders and mask for User_zero and Chris.
Interestingly, Democrats loved that billionaires like George Soros, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos had government access and influence, which was not a big deal to them during the Obama and Biden years. However, with Musk helping the Trump administration, it’s suddenly a “constitutional crisis.” ‘
Under the guise of humanitarian needs with starving children around the world, USAID sent billions of cash to the Taliban in Afganistan and to Syria and Yemen in their money laundering scheme. American taxpayers were funding our worst enemies.
The crazy corrupt Maxine Waters (d-CA) goes on TikTok and says Democrats fear Muck and Trump because “We don’t know what all they have on us.” Now that’s an admission of guilt, eh?
Trump ran on reducing the deficit and size of the government. Democrats are seeking to prevent the very reforms that most voters supported.
USAID is just a tiny piece of what’s coming. Buckle up, Dems. It will be four long years for you.
Those people have never had direct access to government and certainly never made direct decisions on spending as Drump has delegated away from congress to Musk. Guess conservatives really DON”T care about the constitution. They wave around the constitution like they wave around the bible. They clearly don’t believe in either document.
FYI, Drump turned Afganistan back over to the Taliban and even tried to invite them to Camp David. So don’t talk about being sweet to the enemy as that is kinda Drumps jam. Especially with his buddy buddy with Putin.
But you be you.
****
It’s always “..for the children”, isn’t it? Whenever the Left and The Parasitic Sector lobby for ever increasing taxation, it’s “for the children” or “if it saves a single life”. In honest English this normally means more millions for a bankrupt government education monopoly, or a new overreaching law that constitutes “Government in Your Face” (Click it or Ticket, etc ).
Now that Trump is proposing they cut Medicaid, it really is for the children. I will always believe healthcare is a right! Linking of healthcare to employment and not requiring all employers to provide healthcare is literally killing people in this country. I suspect that the fastest growing segment of the US workforce is ‘working poor’ as the US government subsidizes companies like Walmart and Amazon.
But you be you.
So you’re saying that it’s impossible to reduce the cost of Medicaid without impacting people.
What a patently absurd position.
Chrissy believes there is zero waste in the Medicaid budget!
Sure, there is waste. And likely a fraudulent payments. Find the waste and fraud. Just cutting the budget by itself does nothing but leaving people without healthcare. But the so-called Christian Conservative party thinks that ok because it will fund more tax cuts for Trump and his wealthy associates.
But you be you.
Can someone please explain to me (using facts, not overly exaggerated hyperbole) what the man who is recognized as the richest individual in the world gain by ‘fleecing America’.
Just asking.
Best example is 400 million for Tesla Trucks. Sure the now took the name Tesla out of the documentation but yeah. That is a solid example. Greed is a powerful force and doesn’t slow down because you are rich.
Actually, the Dems were clearly wasting taxpayer $$$ on hundreds of their pet projects which did not benefit Americans ! Seniors on fixed incomes have been severely affected by the terrible inflation and wasteful spending of their tax $$$. And they get no publicity; most are too proud to request help.
So, you are ok with wasting money as long as it’s republicans?
Weird.
Just another reminder that inflation started in April before Biden had taken any action on either monetary or fiscal policy. The inflation dates back to Trumps actions while in office as well as Biden’s spending. Although Trump printed more money than Biden did during his term. Funny how conservatives ignore this fact. LOL and now that inflation took a jump with Trump in office, he blames Biden….not the tariffs and market uncertainty he immediately tossed into the markets with his continued talk of broad tariffs. Burning both ends of the blame game stick.
Only hypocritical conservatives would buy into Drump’s BS.
USAID is a corrupt CIA cut-out. A slush fund for the ruling class and their color revolutions, such as the one that overthrew the elected President of Ukraine in 2014. Shut it down,
(Just look at the 30 million Samantha Powers accumulated during her short stent at the helm. USAID=putrefied Swamp.)
Another hollow conspiracy theory with no basis in fact. Just more fiction to feed the army with hate for America’s victim blaming the poor and disadvantaged people around the world.
No one but one of the parasites receiving loot from the Swamp could defend the fetid Swamp as you do.
Oh no! The wealthiest country in the world spends 0.3% of it’s budget helping other countries such as those in war torn areas or areas full of suffering and loss.
But wait, don’t conservatives claim that the US is a Christian nation? Guess they only do that when they can use religion to discriminate against others.
But you be you
It is indeed utterly corrupt, and opaque.
DOGE has been let off the leash, and it’s sniffing around the US Agency for International Development, whose benign name masks some nefarious deeds. You know all about the multi-million dollar projects earmarked for the left’s most cherished tenets, things like DEI, LGBTQ, atheism and a host of other activities including the overthrow of governments.
USAID was established by JFK with the admirable goal of promoting America and providing help to the world’s neediest. But like many DC institutions, the agency was subverted by left-wing bureaucrats who do not think the USA is a particularly noble country. President Trump is prone to exaggeration, but his description of USAID leaders as ‘radical lunatics’ is apt.
Last week, Samantha Power, a DC fixture who ran USAID under Joe Biden, sat for a softball interview with Stephen Colbert, during which she praised the agency as ‘the face of American values.’ Tell that to the warehouse worker in Ohio, whose values are starkly at odds with those of Power’s former organization. It was folks like the warehouse worker in Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania…..etc., etc., that put Trump in the White House.
This entire USAID brouhaha may be merely the opening act. Just wait until Trump, Musk, and associates shift their focus to PBS and NPR. Musk has made it very clear that he wants NPR to be defunded, but the network’s mostly older, white, well-off listeners will do anything to save their cherished left-wing outlet and its smooth-voiced, $500,000-per-year hosts. Go DOGE!
National Progressive Radio – Taxpayer financed socialists
NPR only receives 1% of its funding directly from the federal government.
(to be fair… also note that other public media sources purchase NPR programing using other federal grants…..)
That is profoundly misleading, even if true. NPR is funded through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, so technically that funding is “indirect”.
That allows liars like you to deceive the people who are reading this.
NAZI PROPAGANDA RADIO