White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday criticized the US Agency for International Development (USAID), calling attention to projects such as $1.5 million for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in Serbia, a transgender opera in Colombia, and a DEI musical in Ireland. She described these as “wasteful spending of American taxpayer dollars.”
Her remarks followed President Donald Trump’s appointment of secretary of state Marco Rubio as acting administrator of USAID, effectively placing the humanitarian agency under the State Department’s control.
White House criticism of USAID
Speaking to reporters, Leavitt said, “If you look at the waste and abuse that has run through USAID over the past several years, these are some of the insane priorities that the organization has been spending money on — $1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia’s workplaces, $70,000 for the production of a DEI musical in Ireland, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia, and $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru.”
She continued, “I don’t know about you, but as an American taxpayer, I don’t want my dollars going towards this crap, and I know the American people don’t want to either. And that’s exactly what Elon Musk has been tasked by President Trump to do—to get the fraud, waste, and abuse out of our federal government.”
Elon Musk calls for USAID shutdown
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has also spoken out against USAID, calling it a “criminal organization.”
In a post on X, Musk wrote, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.”
Lawmakers express concern
US House of Representative Ilhan Omar criticized Trump’s actions, warning that the country is experiencing a “constitutional crisis” and comparing the moves to the beginnings of a dictatorship.
“It is really, really a sad day in America. We are witnessing a constitutional crisis. We talked about Trump wanting to be a dictator on day one, and here we are. This is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like,” Omar said.
She also wrote on X, “Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire, is wasting no time in abusing the influence he bought with $290 million by eliminating USAID, a program that has saved millions of lives around the world. Real people who depend on this critical aid to access food, shelter, and medical care for survival will die because of this decision.”
USAID staff placed on leave
Last week, around 60 senior USAID staff were placed on leave after allegations that they attempted to bypass an executive order on foreign aid, CNN reported. Another senior official was also put on leave after trying to reverse that decision, citing a lack of evidence of wrongdoing.
What is USAID?
Former US President John F.Kennedy established the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1961 during the Cold War to counter Soviet influence through foreign aid. He viewed the State Department as too bureaucratic for the task and sought a more efficient approach.
Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act, creating USAID as an independent agency.
Although the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, USAID continues its operations. Supporters argue that US foreign aid helps counter the influence of countries like Russia and China, which has its own global “Belt and Road” initiative in regions where the US also seeks partnerships.
Critics, however, claim that USAID programs are wasteful and promote a liberal agenda.
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