USAID’s $200M tab: $10M of meals to al Qaeda-linked terrorists, millions more to DEI

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Truth Detector

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The corrupt rot runs deep.

USAID’s $200M tab: $10M of meals to al Qaeda-linked terrorists, millions more to DEI​

The Trump administration has flagged nearly $200 million in questionable spending by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which Elon Musk and his team have put in their crosshairs for cutting alleged waste and abuse.

Among the most stunning revelations from a White House list of questionable spending was nearly $10 million USAID spent on meals that went to al Qaeda-funded terrorist groups.

Then there was the roughly $75 million USAID spent on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in foreign countries.

Some of those recipients of taxpayer dollars included:

• $16.8 million to support equitable outcomes in inclusion in Vietnam.

• $8.3 million for “equity and inclusion” education.

• $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists to avoid “binary-gender language.”

• $6.3 million to study men having sex with other men in South Africa.

• $6 million to advance LGBTQ principles in “priority countries around the world.”

• $5.5 million to promote LGBTQ causes in Uganda.

• $3.9 million to promote LGBTQ causes in Western Balkans.

• $2.5 million to promote inclusion in Vietnam.

• $2 million for sex changes and LBGTQ “activism” and sex changes in Guatemala.

• $1.5 million to advance “diversity, equity and inclusion” in Serbian workplaces.

USAID also spent millions to promote transgenderism through various media outlets including using $47,000 of taxpayer funds to produce a transgender opera in Colombia, $32,000 for a transgender opera in Columbia, $70,000 for a “DEI-themed musical” in Ireland and $2 million for a “transgender comic book in Peru.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called out the USAID for spending taxpayer dollars on “crap.”

She said Democrats who are protesting the administration’s plan to fold USAID into the State Department should be focused on making sure Americans benefit when Uncle Sam doles out their tax dollars.

 
“Democrats are outraged that the American people want their tax dollars going to good uses, not stuff like this but then they’re very quiet about the fact that there are still North Carolinians and people in California who have lost everything, but in the last four years, the federal government did nothing to help them,” she said of the two states affected by natural disasters.

In addition to DEI initiatives, USAID spent millions to promote media outlets in other countries:

• $20 million to produce an Iraqi version of Sesame Street.

• $8 million to buy subscriptions to Politico Pro.

• $2.1 million to the British Broadcasting System to “strengthen the media ecosystem in Libya.”

• $1.3 million for Arab and Jewish photographers.

• $1.5 million to rebuild the Cuban “media ecosystem.”

USAID also has a $150 billion climate strategy aimed at building “an equitable world with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions” by 2030. However, it is unclear how much of that money was spent.

Also included on the list was $6 million approved by USAID to promote tourism in Egypt, a move that was authorized by the first Trump administration.

The White House has not detailed a vision for the future of the foreign aid agency.

President Trump decided to end the agency’s autonomy and make it part of the State Department, but how that will work or even if it will retain the USAID name remains to be seen.

All USAID programs have been halted and its staff around the world have been placed on administrative leave. Mr. Trump said that he will decide the future of the agency later.

“It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics and we’re getting them out. USAID, run by radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision,” he said.

USAID’s offices have been closed to workers, a move that was protested on Monday by both its employees and Democratic lawmakers. The Democrats said shuttering the agency was illegal and unconstitutional. They argued that it was created by an act of Congress so the president can’t just get rid of it through executive fiat.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, said shuttering USAID “is essentially putting lives at risk around the world.”
 
This news will be breaking soon too:

USAID Gifted a Cement Factory to Hamas—How $310 Million in U.S. Taxpayer Money Helped Create Gaza Terror Tunnels​

How U.S. Taxpayer Dollars Ended Up Strengthening Hamas' Military Infrastructure​

Most people are unaware that USAID, the U.S. government agency tasked with foreign aid and development, gifted in 2016, $310 million of taxpayer money to start a Palestinian cement factory project. The project was a private venture, by a company called Sanad Construction Resources Company (SANAD), the establishment of multiple cement mills and factories which ultimately helped create Hamas' terror infrastructure in Gaza.

Sanad Construction Resources Company (SANAD) is a Palestinian publicly traded company, in PEX (Palestine Stock Exchange), it has profited handsomely from the purchase of cement as foreign aid, particularly from USAID, UNRWA and the UN. Much of its revenue came from cement and construction contracts funded by these organizations. Cement—critical for building tunnels and military infrastructure—was always a priority for Hamas and USAID ensuring it had a cement factory nearby, ensured it had an endless supply. The likelihood that Sanad’s cement ended up in the hands of Hamas is almost certain.

globaldisconnect.substack.com

USAID Gifted a Cement Factory to Hamas—How $310 Million in U.S. Taxpayer Money Helped Create Gaza Terror Tunnels

How U.S. Taxpayer Dollars Ended Up Strengthening Hamas' Military Infrastructure
globaldisconnect.substack.com globaldisconnect.substack.com
 
Fire as many as you can, Mr. Musk.

Gut the fake charities and foundations our tax dollars were funding.

Repurpose the agency for something useful, if it must be kept.
 
Truth Detector said:
“Democrats are outraged that the American people want their tax dollars going to good uses, not stuff like this but then they’re very quiet about the fact that there are still North Carolinians and people in California who have lost everything, but in the last four years, the federal government did nothing to help them,” she said of the two states affected by natural disasters.

In addition to DEI initiatives, USAID spent millions to promote media outlets in other countries:

• $20 million to produce an Iraqi version of Sesame Street.

• $8 million to buy subscriptions to Politico Pro.

• $2.1 million to the British Broadcasting System to “strengthen the media ecosystem in Libya.”

• $1.3 million for Arab and Jewish photographers.

• $1.5 million to rebuild the Cuban “media ecosystem.”

USAID also has a $150 billion climate strategy aimed at building “an equitable world with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions” by 2030. However, it is unclear how much of that money was spent.

Also included on the list was $6 million approved by USAID to promote tourism in Egypt, a move that was authorized by the first Trump administration.

The White House has not detailed a vision for the future of the foreign aid agency.

President Trump decided to end the agency’s autonomy and make it part of the State Department, but how that will work or even if it will retain the USAID name remains to be seen.

All USAID programs have been halted and its staff around the world have been placed on administrative leave. Mr. Trump said that he will decide the future of the agency later.

“It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics and we’re getting them out. USAID, run by radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision,” he said.

USAID’s offices have been closed to workers, a move that was protested on Monday by both its employees and Democratic lawmakers. The Democrats said shuttering the agency was illegal and unconstitutional. They argued that it was created by an act of Congress so the president can’t just get rid of it through executive fiat.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, said shuttering USAID “is essentially putting lives at risk around the world.”
Click to expand...
That $8 million POLITICO number has been revised up, to over $30 million.

Snopes hilariously tried to debunk it using "publicly" available records", then went on to show those same records showed payments to POLITICO of $34 million from "assorted federal agencies". Which makes it, oh so much better. But that's the thing, I doubt the DOGE revelation is publicly available.

www.snopes.com

USAID paid $44K to Politico, not over $8M as White House claimed. It was for subscriptions

U.S. President Donald Trump, the White House press secretary and DOGE Director Elon Musk promoted misleading statements about USAID and Politico.
www.snopes.com www.snopes.com

  • After the Trump administration announced its intention to shutter USAID, rumors erupted that Politico, a digital media company, was being "massively funded" by the agency. Specifically, it was alleged that Politico had received over $8 million in USAID funding.
  • The above claim was false. Publicly available records showed that in 2023 and 2024, the USAID paid a total of $44,000 — not $8 million — to Politico, and the payments were earmarked for institutional subscriptions to E&E News, a Politico publication. No other transactions between USAID and Politico were listed for the entire previous decade.
  • The same records showed that since 2014, Politico had received $34.3 million from assorted federal agencies, the bulk of which appeared to have been payments for subscriptions to Politico publications (specifically E&E News and Politico Pro).
 
countryboy said:
That $8 million POLITICO number has been revised up, to over $30 million.

Snopes hilariously tried to debunk it using "publicly" available records", then went on to show those same records showed payments to POLITICO of $34 million from "assorted federal agencies". Which makes it, oh so much better. But that's the thing, I doubt the DOGE revelation is publicly available.

www.snopes.com

USAID paid $44K to Politico, not over $8M as White House claimed. It was for subscriptions

U.S. President Donald Trump, the White House press secretary and DOGE Director Elon Musk promoted misleading statements about USAID and Politico.
www.snopes.com www.snopes.com

  • After the Trump administration announced its intention to shutter USAID, rumors erupted that Politico, a digital media company, was being "massively funded" by the agency. Specifically, it was alleged that Politico had received over $8 million in USAID funding.
  • The above claim was false. Publicly available records showed that in 2023 and 2024, the USAID paid a total of $44,000 — not $8 million — to Politico, and the payments were earmarked for institutional subscriptions to E&E News, a Politico publication. No other transactions between USAID and Politico were listed for the entire previous decade.
  • The same records showed that since 2014, Politico had received $34.3 million from assorted federal agencies, the bulk of which appeared to have been payments for subscriptions to Politico publications (specifically E&E News and Politico Pro).
Click to expand...
They're not only morons, but lying morons.
 
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