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[WaPo] Trump moves to wrest control of USAID as Musk says, ‘We’re shutting it down’

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by Os Trigonum, Feb 3, 2025.

  1. Nook

    Nook Member

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    It is because he is a coward - and will grovel for crumbs from the man that humiliated him repeatedly. JD Vance is much the same way- Ted Cruz as well, although at least he doesn’t beg for crumbs anymore.

    Rubio will say and do anything for relevance. It’s disgusting.
     
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  2. Amiga

    Amiga Member

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    Sexual Violence, Human Trafficking: Fallout From U.S. Aid Withdrawal Hits Malawi — ProPublica

    American diplomats in at least two countries have recently delivered internal reports to Washington that reflect a grim new reality taking hold abroad: The Trump administration’s sudden withdrawal of foreign aid is bringing about the violence and chaos that many had warned would come.

    The vacuum left after the U.S. abandoned its humanitarian commitments has destabilized some of the most fragile locations in the world and thrown refugee camps further into unrest, according to State Department correspondence and notes obtained by ProPublica.

    The assessments are not just predictions about the future but detailed accounts of what has already occurred, making them among the first such reports from inside the Trump administration to surface publicly — though experts suspect they will not be the last. The diplomats warned in their correspondence that stopping aid may undermine efforts to combat terrorism.

    In the southeastern African country of Malawi, U.S. funding cuts to the United Nations’ World Food Programme have “yielded a sharp increase in criminality, sexual violence, and instances of human trafficking” within a large refugee camp, U.S. embassy officials told the State Department in late April.

    “It is devastating, but it’s not surprising,” Eric Schwartz, a former State Department assistant secretary and member of the National Security Council during Democratic administrations, told ProPublica. “It’s all what people in the national security community have predicted.”

    “I struggle for adjectives to adequately describe the horror that this administration has visited on the world,” Schwartz added. “It keeps me up at night.”


     
  3. Kemahkeith

    Kemahkeith Member
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    Two things.
    I do not think lack of food causes sexual violence, as stated above.
    If I'm hungry the last thing on my mind is good lovin.

    2nd issue. If it's called the "world Food Programme" spelling makes it seem Euro in Nature, so why is it the United States fault people are starving. How about the Euros kick in a little more.

    You may not agree with it but that's kind of what Americanism is, and what El Trumpo ran on.
    It sucks when some vital aide gets cut in order to clear the decks of some of the other foolery that has been prevalent.

    The real question here is do we as a nation want to make any effort to reduce our spending or go on with the Status Quo.
    That is the real rub here. We can't be the world's teat to suckle anymore. And those that have depended on us to prop them up are going to feel pain.

    Yes, I feel bad that people around the world are suffering, but it can no longer be this country's job of giving your taxes paid, to other countries. While handing this deficit to your grandchildren and great grandchildren.

    Don't hit me with the Trump's big Bill won't solve anything. I do not think it will either, that is not what we are discussing here.
    The problem with our government for so long is, keeping things the way they are is not really sustainable.
    At some point the bandage has to be ripped off. Now or later. Pick your poison

    Private citizens please give to these humanitarian orgs:
    Red Cross/Red Crescent
    Direct Relief
    Oxfam
    Mercy Corps
    And any of the world food banks.
     
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  4. Amiga

    Amiga Member

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    That’s a fair thought, and I’m definitely not claiming to be an expert. The article is pointing out what was expected to happen, and what is happening, according to people who study this stuff on the ground.

    Why is there a connection between food aid cuts and things like sexual violence or trafficking? The idea isn't that hunger somehow causes abuse directly. It's that when basic support systems collapse, like food, shelter, and protection programs, people become desperate and vulnerable, especially women and children. That’s when predators and traffickers move in. Refugee camps already have weak policing and oversight, so when humanitarian orgs have to pull back, exploitation fills the vacuum.

    If a country wants to step back from funding global aid, fine. But doing it responsibly means taking the warnings seriously. That includes phasing out support gradually and working to get others (yes, including the Europeans) to step up. Just walking away lead to chaos, and expected harm - including close to a billion in spoiled food that was already in transit but never delivered.

    These links lay out some of those real-world consequences (and the connection) in more detail:

     
  5. Kemahkeith

    Kemahkeith Member
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    Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
    I will check out the links.
     
  6. basso

    basso Member
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    two others:

    ShelterBox
    Operation BBQ Relief
     
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  7. rimrocker

    rimrocker Member

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    Globally, this will be the first year in decades where deaths of kids 5 years and younger increased over the previous year.
     
  8. El_Conquistador

    El_Conquistador King of the D&D, The Legend, #1 Ranking

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    Sorry, but I cannot let your dishonest act stand.

    Are you trying to tie global deaths to USAID funding cuts that occurred weeks ago? Very dishonest. The actual AID programs were maintained. The money laundering and corruption is what was cut. The funding of NGOs that advance highly partisan initiatives and enrich highly partisan actors (Stacey Abrahams) is what was targeted with DOGE cuts. And rightly so. The "USAID" name was just just subterfuge and misdirection to give the facade of legitimacy to this highly corrupt scheme by the liberals.



    GOOD DAY
     
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  9. Jugdish

    Jugdish Member

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    When can we expect to see arrests of these money launderers?
     
  10. rimrocker

    rimrocker Member

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    Until this post, most people were unaware that there were line items in the budget for money laundering and corruption--at least you acknowledge that there were cuts but you failed to mention that 83% of USAID programs were cut. That means, if we take Rubio at his word, that the State Dept now administers 17% of what USAID once did. I do appreciate your constant adherence to the most extreme Repub talking points. It shows an incredible combo of willful stupidity and morally deficient discipline. Truly impressive. Here's an article written in response to those falsehoods you cited:
    https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/07/01/nx-s1-5452513/trump-usaid-foreign-aid-deaths

    Specifically:

    https://apnews.com/article/usaid-trump-obama-cuts-famine-19e628eb360833f94bb64cd2479d7cb6

    https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world...s-un-conference-spain-developing-nations.html

    https://time.com/7298994/usaid-deaths-studies-estimates-foreign-aid-hiv-aids-malaria-sudan/

    https://theconversation.com/usaid-t...id-freeze-for-a-war-torn-part-of-sudan-254215

    https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/hivaids/...ion-deaths-worldwide-infectious-diseases-2030

    https://thehill.com/policy/international/5379768-usaids-closure-global-death-toll/

    https://thehill.com/policy/international/5379768-usaids-closure-global-death-toll/

    [​IMG]

    I could go on, but what's the point? We know you will ignore this post save perhaps some comment that seems witty to you but just pathetic to those of us who are not in the cult. I get you guys don't care about people in Africa and other places that aren't White Lotus vacation spots but it seems you would at least care about efficiency and USAID was quite efficient in saving lives. Now, we will pay at least $6 billion to get rid of it.

    https://news.bgov.com/bloomberg-gov...n-costs-top-6-billion-internal-estimate-shows

    Oh well. I guess the silver lining here is we no longer get to hear you guys obfuscate your crippling domestic budget choices by saying stuff like, "How come we give millions to other countries but don't have enough to fund veteran's health care?" A small consolation built on death.
     
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  11. HP3

    HP3 Member

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    You're cool AF
     

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