In a touching video farewell address to US Agency for International Development (USAID) staff, former US Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush delivered a eminently open rebuke of the Donald Trump administration.
Obama referred to the Trump administration’s failure to dismantle USAID as “colossal mistake.”
The six-decade-old humanitarian and development organization, founded by President John F. Kennedy as a soft power, peaceful way to advance US national security by strengthening goodwill and prosperity abroad, had its last day as an independent agency on Monday.
USAID will be absorbed into the US State Department on Tuesday, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a videoconference that was intended to be a closed-press event, the former presidents and U2 singer Bono  spoke with members of the USAID community, who cried as he recited a poem.
They expressed gratitude for the thousands of lost their jobs and daily lives to USAID employees. Their organization was one of Trump’s and his billionaire ally Elon Musk’s initial and most aggressively targeted for government cuts, with staff members abruptly locked out of offices and systems and sent mass emails terminating.
Trump asserted that the organization was plagued by “radical left lunatics” and rife with “tremendous fraud.” It was described as “a criminal organization” by Musky.
Obama gave assurances to the aid and development workers, some of whom were overseas, in a recorded statement.
He declared, “Your work has mattered and will matter for generations to come.”
Obama avoided criticizing Trump’s profound changes to US priorities and programs both domestically and abroad, largely retaining a low public image during Trump’s second term.
It’s tragic and a travesty to be a fugitive to USAID. Because it is among the most significant projects currently being done around the world,” Obama said. He attributed USAID’s role in rescuing lives as well as being a major contributor to the growth of the US economy, which has helped some aid-receiving nations become US markets and trade partners.
Leaders on both sides of the aisle will soon realize how much you are needed, according to the former Democratic president.
The State Department announced this week that it would introduce its foreign assistance successor to USAID, known as America First, when it was contacted for comment.
Every tax dollar spent will benefit our national interests, according to the department, thanks to the new process.
In addition to funding the “Green Revolution,” which revolutionized modern agriculture and ended starvation and famine, USAID oversaw programs around the world that provided water and life-saving food to millions of refugees who had been displaced by conflict in Sudan, Syria, Gaza, and elsewhere. The organization aimed to stop disease outbreaks, promote democracy, and support development that made it possible for people and countries to escape poverty.
Bush, who also made a recorded message, immediately addressed the cuts to his Republican administration’s landmark AIDS and HIV program, which is credited with saving 25 million lives worldwide.
Significant funding for the program was saved by the popular President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, which received bipartisan support from Congress. However, less people are receiving the life-saving care because of regulations and cuts.
Bush addressed USAID staffers, “You’ve demonstrated the great strength of America through your work. Are 25 million people who would have passed away now living in our country’s best interests? He said, “I believe it is, and I think it is,” and so do you.
A third of the world’s most vulnerable, including young children, are likely to pass away as a result of the Trump administration’s actions, according to a study released on Tuesday in the Lancet journal.
The resulting shock, according to study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, would be “comparable in scale to a major armed conflict or a global pandemic,” according to a statement from the report.
Bono, a seasoned humanitarian advocate in Africa and other countries, was named the “surprise guest.”
he recited a poem about the agency’s gutting that he had written. He made reference to the millions of people who Boston University researchers and other analysts believe will die as a result of US funding cuts for health and other programs abroad.
Source: Aljazeera
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