On Monday, the White House publicized a list of projects overseen by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), deemed wasteful and abusive, as cost-cutting measures target the agency.
Elon Musk, designated a “special government employee” by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, heads the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While not a government agency, DOGE, under the White House executive office, is tasked with dismantling major spending programs, with USAID as its current focus.
The White House stated that USAID has lacked accountability, diverting substantial funds to questionable and potentially harmful projects with minimal oversight.
The White House’s list details millions in USAID funding for programs deemed controversial by the Trump administration, many involving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the Biden administration.
A program to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities” and a $70,000 “DEI musical” in Ireland are highlighted.
Funding for LGBTQI+ programs was also criticized, including $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia, unspecified programs in Peru, and $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala.
Digital could not independently verify the Colombian and Guatemalan initiatives; the White House cited reports from the Daily Mail, the Daily Caller News Foundation, and other sources.
The White House also cited spending initiatives initiated before the current administration, such as a $6 million, 2017-2019 agreement described as “funding tourism” in Egypt.
However, documentation related to the Egyptian program indicated it aimed to build upon prior investments in North Sinai providing water and wastewater services and improving transportation access and economic opportunities for rural communities.
The White House also noted USAID funding for coronavirus research, contraceptive initiatives, and programs allegedly benefiting terrorists in various countries.
USAID’s future is uncertain; its headquarters were closed Monday, leaving thousands of employees globally awaiting word on their employment following the apparent Musk takeover.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the acting director, concurred with the White House’s assessment of the agency needing reform.
“The president made me the acting administrator,” he stated. “I’ve delegated that power to someone who is there full-time, and we’re going to go through the same process at USAID as we’re going through now at the State Department.”
Legal questions remain regarding the White House’s authority to dismantle an independent agency. Democratic lawmakers and agency employees protested outside the headquarters Monday, despite instructions to stay home.
Rubio criticized these protests as “rank insubordination,” stating, “The goal was to reform it, but now we have rank insubordination… their basic attitude is, ‘We don’t work for anyone. We work for ourselves. No agency of government can tell us what to do.’”