Democrats have reacted to cuts at USAID as if Elon Musk and DOGE are cutting off heat and food for elderly Americans. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Musk and DOGE are targeting spending that is shocking to most Americans. Spending that most people did not even know existed and which is disgusting in the face of what has happened in places like western North Carolina, and other American locations in dire need.
The reaction from Democrats has been so over the top that even some people on the left believe they are taking a massive political risk.
One of those people is Ruy Teixeira, a progressive analyst who is aligned with people like John Podesta and the Progressive Policy Institute.
He is a man of the left and he is sounding the alarm for Dems.
Teixeira recently wrote at the Free Press:
Defending USAID Is Political Suicide for Democrats
In policy terms, the Democrats have a point. The legality of DOGE’s strike on the agency is unclear. For the incredible amount of wasteful stuff in its budget—why did USAID grant $1.5 million for “diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities”—USAID also provides basic aid, like nutrition and health assistance, to needy countries.
But politically, none of that matters a whit. Trump occupies the high ground in this fight, which is probably why he and Musk picked it. If voters dislike anything, it’s bureaucracy and foreign aid. And USAID is a 10,000-employee bureaucracy—housed in a palatial building on prime downtown real estate—that spends $40 billion a year on other countries.
He wraps up his article this way:
Okay, let’s recap the situation:
1. Democrats are unconditionally defending an obscure government institution at a time when even well-known and previously trusted institutions are regarded with intense suspicion. A key finding from New York Times polling in the 2024 election cycle was that voters overwhelmingly believe the political and economic system in America needs either major changes, or to be completely rebuilt.
2. This particular obscure institution does one of American voters’ least favorite things: provide foreign aid.
3. Finally, not only are Democrats blanket defending an obscure institution that does something American voters don’t particularly want to, they are defending it without explaining their own priorities. What aid would they preserve and what would they get rid of?
Ed Morrissey comments at Hot Air:
You know who loves USAID and its unaccountable structure? The progressive Academia elite that run it and other less-than-responsive federal bureaucracies. Why? It appeals to their elitism, and the flow of money without accountability allows for massive manipulations and social engineering. David covered ‘Internews” earlier today, a $500M annual expenditure in what is in essence a propaganda operation, or more likely a multitude of such operations.
You know who hates USAID and other less-than-accountable federal bureaucracies? Everyone else. Almost literally.
Democrats looked out of touch after the election. Today, they look downright crazy.
UPDATE: Watch this, it’ll make you laugh.
Elon and DOGE decimating USAID pic.twitter.com/4qx1b5CPd5
— FreedomToons (@Freedom_Toons) February 11, 2025
