President Donald Trump administration’s freezing of aid in a push to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is “one of the cruelest acts” taken by a democracy, former agency speechwriter Maany Peyvan writes.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email Thursday night for comment.
Why It Matters
The USAID has been in headlines this month after billionaire Elon Musk, director of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced plans to gut the program.
Established in 1961, USAID has tackled epidemics, fought global food insecurities, funded education and played a pivotal role in U.S. foreign policy.
On its website this month, following DOGE’s directive, the agency announced that all direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave, “with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.”
What To Know
In his op-ed published in The Atlantic, Peyvan reflected on his six years at USAID, during which he persuaded Republicans “sympathetic” to foreign aid with tactical arguments about “America’s safety.” Peyvan added that the argument is now moot, as Musk and Trump believe “administering foreign aid weakens America.”
Peyvan continues that a better argument for saving USAID is that shredding it “could be one of the cruelest acts that a democracy has ever undertaken.” The former USAID staffer notes a time nearly seven years ago when Congress sought to slash foreign aid by 16 percent and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah warning that such cuts could lead to 70,000 children dying.
Peyvan points out that this figure is higher than the number of children killed by the atomic bombs dropped by America on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II. The number of children potentially impacted by dismantling USAID “could be worse,” he warns.
Peyvan also takes a swipe at Musk, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the op-ed, saying they are all “redefining what it means to be American” by being small-hearted opposed to generous. During his time at USAID, Peyvan said, he prioritized the “wrong argument” by focusing on the “tactical arguments” versus appealing to a “higher principle” that ultimately being American is to care about others in need.
What People Are Saying
Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday: “USAID funded an organization that fabricated evidence which was used to impeach President Trump. The Deep State frequently funds regime change efforts abroad, but when it uses taxpayer money to undermine our own government, isn’t that treason?”
Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida posted to X on Thursday: “USAID is actively destabilizing nations without any oversight from Congress or the president. These findings from @MikeBenzCyber are unbelievable to say the least. Why should Americans continue to fund this corruption? WATCH:” Luna then posted a video of herself speaking about USAID.
Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota posted to X this month: “USAID saves lives, promotes stability, and supports people in crisis. I joined Minnesota Now on @MPRnews to talk about how people around the world will quite literally lose their lives and why Elon Musk and Trump don’t have the authority to dismantle it.”
Trump posted to Truth Social on Tuesday: “DOGE: BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE BEING FOUND. CAMPAIGN PROMISE. IMPORTANT FOR AMERICA!!!”
What Happens Next
As Trump’s first 100 days in office unfold, it is expected he will continue to work alongside Musk and task him with finding waste in the federal government.
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