4 months ago
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(NewsNation) — By now, the mean American whitethorn beryllium much acquainted with 2 acronyms that are grabbing headlines successful Washington and beyond: DOGE and USAID.
The Department of Government Efficiency, oregon DOGE, is headed by “special authorities employee” Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. With President Trump’s blessing, DOGE is scrutinizing spending astatine national agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development.
USAID operations person efficaciously been enactment connected hold, little than 3 weeks aft Trump began his 2nd word successful office.
Proponents of the bureau accidental it pays dividends by promoting ideology erstwhile it assists struggling overseas nations. But radical successful Trump’s country accidental USAID has funded respective questionable programs, specified arsenic efforts to beforehand “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” crossed the globe.
NewsNation’s Mills Hayes reports that not each of the accusation cited by Trump representatives carnivore out, though USAID did connection Serbia a $1.5 cardinal assistance to beforehand DEI successful the workplace.
Other examples offered by the White House — specified arsenic $47,000 for a transgender opera successful Colombia and $32,000 for a transgender comic publication successful Peru — were efforts funded by a antithetic national entity, the U.S. State Department.
On the flipside, USAID has disbursed millions to combat AIDS successful Africa; conserve the Amazon Rainforest successful South America and enactment a United Nations nutrient program. USAID has besides distributed U.S. cultivation products, and $34 cardinal successful rice, soybean and wheat purchases are connected hold, the Washington Post reports.
A national justice has temporarily blocked the administration’s attempts to spot 2,200 USAID employees connected paid leave.
Meantime, Musk’s DOGE has besides acceptable its sights connected the U.S. Department of Education. Concerned astir the ramifications, Democratic members of Congress sought to participate the agency’s Washington office past week but were locked out.
“The Democrats person mislaid their minds,” Trump said successful response. “They tried to interruption into the Department of Education conscionable due to the fact that we privation to spell and cheque the books.”
Musk besides is facing scrutiny implicit the young DOGE squad he’s hired arsenic reports aboveground astir their anterior businesses and online activity.
A 19-year-old DOGE subordinate started a institution that hired convicted hackers, and WIRED reports that institution has astatine slightest 2 Russian-registered domains.
Another DOGE staffer reposted comments from achromatic nationalists and misogynists connected societal media, and a 3rd staffer resigned aft past racist posts were made public.
