The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is facing intense scrutiny after a damning report revealed decades of wasteful spending, questionable allocations, and outright abuse of taxpayer dollars.
From funding transgender operas in Colombia to supporting irrigation canals for poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, the agency’s spending habits have sparked outrage among lawmakers and taxpayers alike.
For years, USAID has operated with minimal oversight, funneling billions of dollars into projects that critics argue have little to no connection to its mission of promoting global development and humanitarian aid.
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A recent review of USAID’s expenditures uncovered a litany of questionable allocations, including:
- $1.5 million to “advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”
- $70,000 for the production of a “DEI musical” in Ireland.
- $2.5 million for electric vehicles in Vietnam.
- $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia.
- $32,000 for a “transgender comic book” in Peru.
- $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala.
- $6 million to fund tourism in Egypt.
Perhaps even more alarming are the revelations that USAID funds have indirectly benefited designated terrorist organizations and controversial entities. The report highlights:
- Hundreds of thousands of dollars were funneled to a non-profit linked to designated terrorist groups—even after an inspector general launched an investigation.
- Millions of dollars were awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, an organization involved in controversial research at the Wuhan lab, which has been at the center of debates over the origins of COVID-19.
- Hundreds of thousands of meals that ended up in the hands of al Qaeda-affiliated fighters in Syria.
One of the most egregious examples of USAID’s mismanagement is its role in Afghanistan’s opium trade. The agency spent hundreds of millions of dollars on irrigation canals, farming equipment, and fertilizer, which inadvertently supported unprecedented poppy cultivation and heroin production—ultimately benefiting the Taliban.
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In response to the revelations, President Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on USAID’s wasteful spending and hold the agency accountable.
“For decades, USAID has been a black hole for taxpayer dollars, funding ridiculous and even malicious projects with no oversight,” the President said in a statement. “Under my administration, the waste, fraud, and abuse end now.”
The Trump administration has already begun implementing reforms, including stricter oversight measures, audits of existing programs, and a review of all future funding allocations.
The goal is to ensure that USAID’s resources are used effectively to promote genuine development and humanitarian aid, rather than serving as a slush fund for bureaucrats’ pet projects.
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