Staff Reports
Almost $200 million in questionable spending by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has sparked quite the showdown between congressional Democrats and those advocating for responsible fiscal management. While the Democrats might dismiss concerns as an excuse to cut off foreign aid, onlookers can’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of funding what amounts to taxpayer-supported theatrics overseas.
Democrats seem baffled—nay, outraged—by honest questions surrounding where taxpayer dollars disappear to. They tread carefully around discussions of extravagant spends, such as multimillion-dollar “diversity, equity, and inclusion” ventures in far-off lands. When pressed about these dubious cultural initiatives, the response was not a straightforward endorsement of the spending. Instead, they questioned the validity of the information itself, with folks like Senator Elizabeth Warren seemingly needing a fact-checking team present to believe such absurdities existed.
‘Disinformation’: Democrats refuse to believe USAID bankrolled transgender operas, woke activismhttps://t.co/AN3PFU1xl8 pic.twitter.com/O2W2UiokZ3
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) February 13, 2025
No reasonable person could forget the laundry list of ludicrous expenses: $70,000 for a DEI-themed musical in Ireland, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia, and let’s not overlook the $6 million spent to promote LGBTQ principles in “priority countries.” This push of American cultural ideals abroad raises eyebrows and questions about whether the funds could be better spent on, you know, making sure Americans aren’t dealing with inflation during their grocery runs. It’s an impressive feat of bureaucratic acrobatics to turn taxpayer bills into such extravagances while ignoring the everyday needs of families back home.
Rep. Hank Johnson did not miss a beat in defending this fiscal circus, attributing the uproar to mere “mis- and disinformation” and insisting the dollars spent were a “minute portion” of the federal budget. Johnson, perhaps the star of the Democrat defense team, argues that the soft power gained from foreign aid is well worth the price of entertaining an interest in gender pronouns in places like Sri Lanka. One has to wonder if his constituents get a vote on whether teaching journalists to avoid “binary-gender language” is on their priority list.
Meanwhile, the specter of al Qaeda-linked terrorist organizations in Syria conveniently stalks the background, as nearly $10 million of USAID food aid found its way to support groups that most Americans don’t want to see a dime of their taxes going toward. This is yet another example of why questioning the humanitarian pretenses behind such spending becomes vital. News of ridiculous programs in far-off lands distracts from the fact that the very resources meant to help are mismanaged.
As Democrats continue to protect what they deem a “fantastic” model of international benevolence, it raises broader questions about accountability. They decry proposals to eliminate USAID spending as unconstitutional, but it’s hard not to laugh at the disconnect between their enthusiastic endorsement of spending on bizarre initiatives and the actual needs of Americans during turbulent economic times. At the end of the day, it seems clear: financial prudence and national interests are left behind as the agenda of cultural advocacy sails on the backs of hard-working taxpayers.
