Cutting US Aid Leaves Shake, Congress Seals Downcuts
US Aid Reductions Spark Outrage Over Food Destroyed in Dubai
The United States has dramatically slashed foreign assistance under President Donald Trump, decimating crucial food aid destined for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other nations. A recent incident involving the incineration of a warehouse filled with high‑nutrition biscuits has drawn intense criticism from lawmakers and aid workers alike.
Senate Approves Massive Cuts
- b>Nearly $9 billion in foreign aid cuts, including the elimination of $437 million destined for UNICEF, UNDP, and other UN bodies.
- b>President Trump first enacted these cuts in a sweeping overhaul of spending six months after taking office.
- b>House Speaker Mike Johnson pledges to eliminate a wide range of “egregious abuses” funded by U.S. taxpayers.
Dubai Warehouse Incident
U.S. officials confirmed that approximately 500 tons of high‑nutrition biscuits, intended to feed malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, were destroyed after surpassing their expiration date. The biscuits, purchased near the end of the Biden administration for $800,000, were incinerated in a Dubai warehouse, costing taxpayers an additional $130,000.
Aid Workers Complain
Kate Phillips‑Barrasso, Vice President for Global Policy and Advocacy at Mercy Corps, said that large infrastructure projects were abruptly shut down without consideration of how to complete them. She cited the termination of a USAID‑backed project to improve water and sanitation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which began in 2020 and was scheduled to end in September 2027. Phillips‑Barrasso emphasized that such projects cannot be left incomplete at 75 percent completion.
Republican‑Led Senate Votes to Cut Funding
- b>Republicans narrowly approved the package, still awaiting final approval from the House of Representatives.
- b>Cardinal Leavitt described the rescission of funding as a complete “$9 billion worth of crap.”
- b>The Republican‑launched Department of Government Efficiency, led by former billionaire Elon Musk, criticized USAID spending on controversial issues that do not serve U.S. interests.
- b>House Speaker Mike Johnson raised concerns about U.S. taxpayer dollars being used to finance “transgender operas in Peru,” a reference to a U.S. grant under the Biden administration for an opera in Colombia featuring a transgender protagonist.
State Department Reorganization and Global Leadership Concerns
After the State Department laid off more than 1,300 employees, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ended or merged several offices, including those on climate change, refugees, and human rights, describing the move as a “very deliberate step to reorganize the State Department to be more efficient and more focused.”
Senate Democrats issued a scathing report accusing the Trump administration of relinquishing global leadership to China, which has increased its diplomatic spending and pushed its worldview abroad. Jeanne Shaheen, top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the rescission vote “will be met with cheers in Beijing, which is already celebrating America’s retreat from the world under President Trump.”
