Supporters of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAid) rally on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to protest the Trump administration’s sudden closure of the agency. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
As a Foreign Service Officer for nearly 30 years, I can tell you that President Donald Trump’s foreign aid freeze and the stop work order issued for the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) may seem like a partisan or political issue, but it’s actually an American one.
Whether it was under a Republican or Democratic administration, USAID is composed of dedicated professionals who are acting on behalf of and in the interest of the American people.
The agency might have been established by President John F. Kennedy, but it has been supported for more than 60 years by many Republican leaders, including but not limited to former President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina.
Many Americans think that foreign aid is a large chunk of the federal budget. Surveys often reveal that the public thinks between 20% and 50% of our annual budget goes to foreign aid. The actual portion of the federal budget that goes to foreign aid is less than 1%.
With that allocation, USAID helps ensure diseases like Ebola never reach the United States by aggressively working to contain and eradicate them. The agency was not only instrumental in eradicating smallpox, but it was tracking the spread of bird flu in nearly 50 countries until it was abruptly shut down.
USAID also provides food aid to millions of hungry people around the world, including tens of thousands of starving children in countries such as South Sudan. It does this by buying up millions of dollars in surplus crops from American farmers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas, Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, Idaho and more.
In Virginia alone, USAID buys produce from 11 large-scale farms. USAID also partners with Virginia universities to expand agricultural knowledge at home and abroad. USAID and Virginia State University have a $3 million dollar partnership to help farmers grow better crops and fight pests in South Sudan and throughout East Africa, increasing global food security. And USAID and Virginia Tech have had a mutually beneficial partnership since 1993, working together in over 30 countries to develop and disseminate sustainable pest control strategies to enhance global agricultural productivity.
USAID also benefits state businesses. The agency has a $7.2 million-dollar partnership with Virginia-based Mars, Inc. which boosts the productivity of cocoa farmers in Indonesia through more sustainable agriculture practices. In fact, the USAID Stop Work website estimates that Virginia will lose $7 billion in funds from cancelled USAID contracts if this foreign aid freeze is allowed to continue.
USAID’s tagline is From the American People but it could easily be For the American People. Too few know that the agency works closely with our military to address the needs of civilians in war zones or is the lead in addressing natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis. It promotes democracy, governance, civil liberties and the rule of law. The services USAID provides mean less migration, less violent extremism, and fewer American soldiers in harm’s way.
The agency’s work makes friends and builds alliances with other countries, promoting the very best of American values. The reckless closure of USAID has provided an incredible opening for China and Russia to flex their muscles and grow their influence around the world.
This issue is of the utmost importance to American interests but it’s also very personal to me. Most of my work with USAID was focused on environmental and natural resource management.
Those might be triggering words in today’s political climate, but they benefit Americans in concrete ways. Agency staff has trained tens of thousands of farmers in Central America on improved agricultural practices, including in the production of fruits and vegetables that are exported to the United States in winter. These trainings also help farmers thrive, increasing not only their incomes but their incentive to remain in their home countries rather than migrating north.
It is absolutely vital that USAID be allowed to continue to exist because there is no other entity, including the State Department or the private sector, that will be able to replace the agency in terms of institutional knowledge, experience, technical expertise, and global reach. It doesn’t get more American than USAID.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.