By John Geraci
Guest Editorial
Ah, USAID—the benevolent Uncle Moneybags of international development, generously sprinkling American tax dollars across the globe like confetti at a New Year’s Eve party. If there’s a dubious foreign project in need of cash, rest assured, USAID is there, checkbook open and no questions asked. For decades, this agency has functioned less as a legitimate force for good and more as a slush fund for corrupt foreign governments, NGOs with questionable objectives, and, of course, the favored charities of America’s political elite. The world sees the United States as a senile rich uncle, easy to dupe into financing their lavish lifestyles while lecturing taxpayers on the importance of “foreign aid.”
One-Party Rule: USAID, the Shadow Bank of Washington’s Elites
The so-called “bipartisan” support for USAID is, in reality, a one-party feeding trough. It doesn’t matter which administration is in power; the agency’s mission remains the same—move money through the right back channels and keep the elite donor class happy.
How else does one explain USAID’s suspiciously generous contributions to organizations like the Clinton Foundation? You remember the Clinton Foundation, right? The one that raked in hundreds of millions under the guise of “global charity” only to watch donations conveniently dry up the moment Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election? USAID played its part, funneling money into this political laundromat, all in the name of “development.” And let’s not forget the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where USAID money miraculously found its way into the pockets of Chinese scientists just in time to help fund gain-of-function research. What could go wrong? Surely, no global catastrophe would ever come from that.
An Organization Dedicated to … What, exactly?
The grand mission of USAID is supposedly to “promote global development.” But after pouring trillions into foreign aid over the decades, the world is—shockingly—still a mess. Countries that have received USAID money for generations remain basket cases, riddled with corruption and dysfunction.
Here’s a fun experiment: pick any crisis-ridden country where USAID operates and compare its development to that of a nation that hasn’t been blessed with America’s benevolence. The results might surprise you. The agency’s projects often seem designed not to solve problems, but to perpetuate them—ensuring an eternal cycle of aid dependency that conveniently keeps the right people employed.
Americans Should Scratch Their Heads … and Maybe Cheer?
Here’s the real kicker: while American taxpayers should absolutely be outraged at the breathtaking waste and outright theft of their money, there’s a silver lining. The very incompetence of USAID means that much of the money never actually reaches its intended (or unintended) targets. Between bureaucratic red tape, middlemen skimming their cut, and outright fraud, a significant portion of USAID’s budget simply vanishes into the void.
So, on one hand, Americans should be furious at this con job disguised as foreign aid. But on the other, perhaps there’s some solace in knowing that at least some of that money isn’t going to build yet another ghost hospital in Africa, another failed infrastructure project in Afghanistan, or another sketchy biotech lab in China. Maybe it’s just getting lost in the ether of bureaucratic incompetence—small blessings, indeed.
Time to Pull the Plug?
At some point, Americans might start asking themselves why they continue to bankroll an agency that delivers so little for so much. Maybe it’s time to rethink the idea that throwing money at the world’s problems somehow solves them. Maybe it’s time to stop playing the role of the senile rich uncle and start acting like a country that values its own people and their hard-earned dollars.
But then again, if USAID were shut down, where would all those consultants, bureaucrats, and politically connected “humanitarian” organizations go? Perhaps it’s best to just let the charade continue—after all, watching the grift unfold is at least entertaining.
