The administration of US President Donald Trump has released a list of allegations of “waste and abuse” at the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The White House press release states that the agency has spent taxpayer funds on questionable projects that often lacked proper oversight for decades.
What is USAID accused of?
The USAID list of abuses mentions the following examples:
- Spending $2.5 million on electric cars in Vietnam.
- Financing of tourism in Egypt for millions of dollars.
- Supplying hundreds of thousands of dry rations to Syria, from where they were distributed to al-Qaeda militants.
- Spending hundreds of millions of dollars on agricultural projects in Afghanistan, which the White House believes contributed to poppy cultivation and heroin production, under the Taliban’s care
- Allocation of $2 million to support LGBT activism and gender reassignment in Guatemala.
The White House said that such abuses would not be possible under the new president. “Waste and fraud will no longer be tolerated,” the administration emphasized.
What’s next for USAID?
On January 21, Trump announced the suspension of all foreign aid programs for 90 days to verify their compliance with US foreign policy goals. After that, the US State Department ordered the termination of funding for all existing foreign aid projects and stopped disbursing new funds.
On February 3, USAID’s central office did not resume work, and its employees were instructed to stay home.
To establish control over USAID’s activities, President Trump appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the agency’s acting administrator. According to the White House, this step should provide a better understanding of USAID’s internal processes and prevent future abuses.