By Paul Wallis
DIGITAL JOURNAL
February 4, 2025
After a decade of conflict in one of the Arab world's poorest countries, more than two-thirds of Yemenis are dependent on humanitarian aid - Copyright JIJI Press/AFP/File STR
To read the vilification of USAID by the Trump administration, you’d think it was a terrorist organization. It isn’t.
Please note that there’s so much information available about this situation that I’ve just linked it to the headlines. Otherwise, this article would be a book.
The USAID site appears to have been shut down. (That link is to a 404.) There are various tales about the workforce being told to stay home. It looks like a real mess.
Meanwhile, Marco Rubio says he’s running this agency, which has no presence at all. Folksy, huh?
USAID is one of the biggest aid organizations in the world, managing about half of US aid. It was created under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 as the governing agency. JFK gave the executive order for its establishment.
USAID has never previously been considered an ideological issue by anyone. It’s a provider of aid to alleviate poverty and socioeconomic development all over the world. This dates from the time when America wasn’t run by petty-minded peasants. You’ll note the flag says “From the American people”. Presumably that was from the time when people could afford to be Americans.
Foreign aid is a major bugbear for the administration. IT’s an easy target for illiterate xenophobia. Trump is said to be considering merging it with the State Department. Presumably, neither agency has enough work. The State Department will certainly have a lot less work given the Trump administration’s apparently preferred hostile relationships with other countries
Musk said it’s run by “radical lunatics”. There’s a claim the funds are used to support terrorist organizations. Says the country that funded various South American dictatorships, Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Fortunately, the administration isn’t on speaking terms with US intelligence agencies or anyone else, so that’s OK
.
US government sites were unavailable amid the Trump administration’s controversial drive to shrink the government. – Copyright AFP Jim WATSON
Meh.
When you’ve been accusing just about everyone in the US of being radical lunatics for decades, it loses impact. It’s like “radical leftists”. They’ve gone so far to the right that everyone else is on the left.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much political effort to discredit America in the eyes of the world and the American people. 2026 isn’t that far away. You can lose the Congressional majority and have it all swept away in one day.
There’s a much less rhetorical take on all this self-righteous hysteria about USAID.
It’s the USAID budget for 2025, which is about $42.5 billion. Money, Nothing much is about anything but money, you know.
Compared to the black hole formerly known as the US budget, that’s barely even peanuts. American consumers spend that much every day, about $1.2 billion an hour last time anyone looked.
Of all possible petty-minded, inept, ultra-anti-American options, this would be a top choice. It ends decades of goodwill and positive American imagery worldwide. It deprives poor people of the help they desperately need. Also known as “policy” these days.
It does this while failing totally to even scratch America’s real budgetary needs and problems on any level. That $42.5 billion is barely a light breeze against the giant hurricanes of serious government financial issues.
Why not just sell every minute of American history and heritage and call it saving money?
__________________________________________________
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
Meh.
When you’ve been accusing just about everyone in the US of being radical lunatics for decades, it loses impact. It’s like “radical leftists”. They’ve gone so far to the right that everyone else is on the left.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much political effort to discredit America in the eyes of the world and the American people. 2026 isn’t that far away. You can lose the Congressional majority and have it all swept away in one day.
There’s a much less rhetorical take on all this self-righteous hysteria about USAID.
It’s the USAID budget for 2025, which is about $42.5 billion. Money, Nothing much is about anything but money, you know.
Compared to the black hole formerly known as the US budget, that’s barely even peanuts. American consumers spend that much every day, about $1.2 billion an hour last time anyone looked.
Of all possible petty-minded, inept, ultra-anti-American options, this would be a top choice. It ends decades of goodwill and positive American imagery worldwide. It deprives poor people of the help they desperately need. Also known as “policy” these days.
It does this while failing totally to even scratch America’s real budgetary needs and problems on any level. That $42.5 billion is barely a light breeze against the giant hurricanes of serious government financial issues.
Why not just sell every minute of American history and heritage and call it saving money?
__________________________________________________
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
Musk’s US government ‘takeover’ sounds alarm bells
By AFP
February 4, 2025
People protest outside the headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development in Washington, after tech giant Elon Musk announced the demise of the humanitarian agency. — © AFP
Danny KEMP
Elon Musk has begun swinging his wrecking ball at the US government, with concerns growing over the unprecedented power that President Donald Trump has handed to the world’s richest man.
The South African born billionaire has taken control over the US Treasury’s payments system that manages trillions of dollars. He single-handedly announced the demise of the USAID humanitarian agency. He has helped drive out top officials.
For a man who likes to rail against unelected bureaucrats, the unelected Space X and Tesla tycoon has been subject to little accountability as he pushes Trump’s drive to shrink the US government.
Trump sought to play down the issue Monday when asked about it in the Oval Office, saying “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval.”
“We’ll give him the approval where appropriate, where not appropriate we won’t. But he reports in,” insisted Trump. “It’s something that he feels very strongly about and I’m impressed.”
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been granted unprecedented powers by Donald Trump – Copyright POOL/AFP SAUL LOEB
Musk’s powers have seemed almost unbounded, leading to accusations by Democrats of an unconstitutional power grab by both him and his fellow business mogul Trump.
So far Musk has been registered as neither a federal employee nor a government official — although US media reported Monday that he had now been registered as a “special government employee.”
Critics point to the fact that Musk was the biggest donor to Trump’s victorious election campaign, to the tune of a quarter of a billion dollars.
Then there is the fact that his companies also have huge US government contracts.
– ‘DOGE kids’ –
And while a cute cartoon dog initially adorned the website of Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), its later replacement by a dollar sign in a gold circle underscored what the focus would be.
His young team of so-called “Doge Kids,” drawn from his own companies, dramatically seized control of the US Treasury Department’s payments system and took key government positions.
They have helped push a drive to get federal employees to take severance payments and quit, with an email that closely resembles a message sent to Twitter employees when Musk took over and later renamed the social network X.
Musk personally announced that the massive USAID humanitarian agency would be “shutting down” — during a live chat on X — and branded it a “criminal organization.”
Their no-holds barred style has raised eyebrows.
A dramatic stand-off reportedly ensued when Musk’s aides demanded access to a secure room at USAID where classified information was held.
There was a similar situation when a career Treasury official was reportedly put on administrative leave after refusing such access to aides.
And the head of the Federal Aviation Administration stepped down on Inauguration Day after Musk had criticized the agency’s oversight of rocket launches. Days later Trump had to rush to appoint a new head after a deadly passenger jet crash in Washington.
A controversy over a raised-arm salute by Musk on the day of Trump’s inauguration only added to the controversy.
– ‘Tiger in the petting zoo’ –
Trump insisted Monday that “if there’s a conflict we won’t let him get near it” — but that did not calm critics.
Democrats, who have been largely silent during Trump’s first shock-and-awe two weeks in power, began to mobilize against the latest Musk moves.
“No one elected Elon Musk,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said.
Democrats on the US House Ways and Means Committee were holding an emergency call partly devoted to the issue.
They have bitterly criticized DOGE as an unconstitutional attempt to exert presidential power over funds approved by Congress.
“It’s like letting a tiger into the petting zoo and hoping for the best,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday.
Speaking at a protest by USAID workers, Senator Chris Van Hollen said “this Elon Musk attempted takeover… will not stand.”
Washington is however closely watching to see if the egos of two consummate showmen like Trump and Musk can survive in the same White House for long.
Indeed Musk is reportedly not in the same building, after being denied a West Wing office for his staff, and getting premises instead in the Eisenhower Building, a separate part of the White House complex.
By AFP
February 4, 2025
People protest outside the headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development in Washington, after tech giant Elon Musk announced the demise of the humanitarian agency. — © AFP
Danny KEMP
Elon Musk has begun swinging his wrecking ball at the US government, with concerns growing over the unprecedented power that President Donald Trump has handed to the world’s richest man.
The South African born billionaire has taken control over the US Treasury’s payments system that manages trillions of dollars. He single-handedly announced the demise of the USAID humanitarian agency. He has helped drive out top officials.
For a man who likes to rail against unelected bureaucrats, the unelected Space X and Tesla tycoon has been subject to little accountability as he pushes Trump’s drive to shrink the US government.
Trump sought to play down the issue Monday when asked about it in the Oval Office, saying “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval.”
“We’ll give him the approval where appropriate, where not appropriate we won’t. But he reports in,” insisted Trump. “It’s something that he feels very strongly about and I’m impressed.”
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been granted unprecedented powers by Donald Trump – Copyright POOL/AFP SAUL LOEB
Musk’s powers have seemed almost unbounded, leading to accusations by Democrats of an unconstitutional power grab by both him and his fellow business mogul Trump.
So far Musk has been registered as neither a federal employee nor a government official — although US media reported Monday that he had now been registered as a “special government employee.”
Critics point to the fact that Musk was the biggest donor to Trump’s victorious election campaign, to the tune of a quarter of a billion dollars.
Then there is the fact that his companies also have huge US government contracts.
– ‘DOGE kids’ –
And while a cute cartoon dog initially adorned the website of Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), its later replacement by a dollar sign in a gold circle underscored what the focus would be.
His young team of so-called “Doge Kids,” drawn from his own companies, dramatically seized control of the US Treasury Department’s payments system and took key government positions.
They have helped push a drive to get federal employees to take severance payments and quit, with an email that closely resembles a message sent to Twitter employees when Musk took over and later renamed the social network X.
Musk personally announced that the massive USAID humanitarian agency would be “shutting down” — during a live chat on X — and branded it a “criminal organization.”
Their no-holds barred style has raised eyebrows.
A dramatic stand-off reportedly ensued when Musk’s aides demanded access to a secure room at USAID where classified information was held.
There was a similar situation when a career Treasury official was reportedly put on administrative leave after refusing such access to aides.
And the head of the Federal Aviation Administration stepped down on Inauguration Day after Musk had criticized the agency’s oversight of rocket launches. Days later Trump had to rush to appoint a new head after a deadly passenger jet crash in Washington.
A controversy over a raised-arm salute by Musk on the day of Trump’s inauguration only added to the controversy.
– ‘Tiger in the petting zoo’ –
Trump insisted Monday that “if there’s a conflict we won’t let him get near it” — but that did not calm critics.
Democrats, who have been largely silent during Trump’s first shock-and-awe two weeks in power, began to mobilize against the latest Musk moves.
“No one elected Elon Musk,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said.
Democrats on the US House Ways and Means Committee were holding an emergency call partly devoted to the issue.
They have bitterly criticized DOGE as an unconstitutional attempt to exert presidential power over funds approved by Congress.
“It’s like letting a tiger into the petting zoo and hoping for the best,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday.
Speaking at a protest by USAID workers, Senator Chris Van Hollen said “this Elon Musk attempted takeover… will not stand.”
Washington is however closely watching to see if the egos of two consummate showmen like Trump and Musk can survive in the same White House for long.
Indeed Musk is reportedly not in the same building, after being denied a West Wing office for his staff, and getting premises instead in the Eisenhower Building, a separate part of the White House complex.
Hundreds of US government sites go offline
By AFP
February 3, 2025
US government sites were unavailable amid the Trump administration's controversial drive to shrink the government. - Copyright AFP Jim WATSON
Hundreds of US government websites were offline on Monday, an AFP review showed, including that of the humanitarian agency USAID which President Donald Trump’s administration is shutting down.
From a list of nearly 1,400 federal sites provided by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), more than 350 were unavailable on Monday afternoon.
These included sites linked to the departments of defense, commerce, energy, transportation, labor as well the Central Intelligence Agency and the Supreme Court, the review showed.
The exact time when the sites became unavailable was not clear. Nor was it known whether the sites were temporarily offline or taken down at the instruction of Trump’s administration.
But the development comes amid the administration’s controversial drive to radically shrink the US government.
Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive and the world’s richest person, is leading Trump’s federal cost-cutting efforts under the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
On Monday, Musk said USAID will be shuttered, calling the agency which runs relief programs in about 120 countries a “criminal organization.”
USAID’s website was offline as employees were instructed by email not to go to their offices on Monday.
A slew of US government websites, including top public health agencies, have also scrubbed references to LGBTQ after a Trump directive last week instructing them to terminate all programs funded by taxpayers that promote “gender ideology,” US media reported.
Trump has already issued executive orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion in the government.
Key information and datasets related to HIV and LGBTQ youth have also disappeared from the website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alarming health experts.
On Monday, the CDC’s landing pages for both topics said: “The page you’re looking for was not found.”
“The removal of HIV- and LGBTQ-related resources from the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health agencies is deeply concerning and creates a dangerous gap in scientific information and data to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks,” the Infectious Diseases Society of America said in a statement.
Public access to this information was “especially important as diseases such as HIV, mpox, sexually transmitted infections and other illnesses threaten public health and impact the entire population,” it added.
By AFP
February 3, 2025
US government sites were unavailable amid the Trump administration's controversial drive to shrink the government. - Copyright AFP Jim WATSON
Hundreds of US government websites were offline on Monday, an AFP review showed, including that of the humanitarian agency USAID which President Donald Trump’s administration is shutting down.
From a list of nearly 1,400 federal sites provided by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), more than 350 were unavailable on Monday afternoon.
These included sites linked to the departments of defense, commerce, energy, transportation, labor as well the Central Intelligence Agency and the Supreme Court, the review showed.
The exact time when the sites became unavailable was not clear. Nor was it known whether the sites were temporarily offline or taken down at the instruction of Trump’s administration.
But the development comes amid the administration’s controversial drive to radically shrink the US government.
Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive and the world’s richest person, is leading Trump’s federal cost-cutting efforts under the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
On Monday, Musk said USAID will be shuttered, calling the agency which runs relief programs in about 120 countries a “criminal organization.”
USAID’s website was offline as employees were instructed by email not to go to their offices on Monday.
A slew of US government websites, including top public health agencies, have also scrubbed references to LGBTQ after a Trump directive last week instructing them to terminate all programs funded by taxpayers that promote “gender ideology,” US media reported.
Trump has already issued executive orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion in the government.
Key information and datasets related to HIV and LGBTQ youth have also disappeared from the website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alarming health experts.
On Monday, the CDC’s landing pages for both topics said: “The page you’re looking for was not found.”
“The removal of HIV- and LGBTQ-related resources from the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health agencies is deeply concerning and creates a dangerous gap in scientific information and data to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks,” the Infectious Diseases Society of America said in a statement.
Public access to this information was “especially important as diseases such as HIV, mpox, sexually transmitted infections and other illnesses threaten public health and impact the entire population,” it added.
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