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Almost $500 million in food is at risk of spoilage after USAID pause, report says (www.cbsnews.com)

submitted 6 days ago by FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world to c/usa@lemmy.ml

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Almost $500 million in food aid is at risk of spoilage as it sits in ports, ships and warehouses after funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, was paused by the Trump administration, according to a Feb. 10 report from a government watchdog.

The report from USAID's inspector general highlighted the risks of "safeguarding and distribution" of $8.2 billion in unspent humanitarian aid after the Trump administration ordered almost all staff to be placed on leave and ordered a review of U.S. foreign assistance programs.

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (6 children)

I'm honestly a little surprised.

With each new day, DOGE takes an idea that I think most of us can get behind: an audit of government spending, and runs with it in the dumbest possible ways: A funding freeze that throws every government and non-profit into turmoil, which is then walked back in cowardly fashion after a lawsuit, or firing critical nuclear energy personnel, realizing none of the remaining staff know how to operate those persons' functions, and also no one knows how to access their contact info, or, for me the icing on the cake, letting $500 million dollars in food just rot in port.

Trump could, constitutionally, be using this effort to expand his power and appeal tremendously, but he's cutting everyone off at the knees and (like Biden did with labor unions) forcing resistance efforts to become stronger by sheer necessity.

Just absolutely, mind-numbingly stupid.

[–] dx1@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

realizing none of the remaining staff know how to operate those persons’ functions

Anyone else see the Chinese movie "To Live"? The same basic thing happened, but in the context of a criticism of Maoism - guy's daughter is speech impaired and they take her to the hospital to give birth, but the medical students have denounced the older doctors, and botch the delivery, so they have to fetch one out of imprisonment. Ironic that we see the same thing play out under Trump/Musk, isn't it.

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