Here is an in depth look at the court case against Trump’s restructuring of USAID.
Thanks James! This is an interesting inquiry… I add some of my own comments here.
The Secretary is authorized, subject to the requirements of this division, to allocate or reallocate any function transferred to the Department under any title of this division, and to establish, consolidate, alter, or discontinue such organizational entities within the Department as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out any reorganization under this division, but this subsection does not authorize the Secretary to modify the terms of any statute that establishes or defines the functions of any bureau, office, or officer of the Department.
Does “The Secretary” refer to the executive branch? Assuming it does, even if indirectly: I read this as he has the power to hire and fire and thereby determine “how” things should be done, but doesn’t have the power to change the overall mission. Fine so far. So what is their mission?
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.pdf (842.7 KB)
United States development cooperation policy should emphasize five principal goals:
(1) the alleviation of the worst physical manifestations of
poverty among the world’s poor majority;
(2) the promotion of conditions enabling developing countries to achieve self-sustaining economic growth with equitable
distribution of benefits;
(3) the encouragement of development processes in which
individual civil and economic rights are respected and enhanced;
(4) the integration of the developing countries into an open
and equitable international economic system; and
(5) the promotion of good governance through combating
corruption and improving transparency and accountability
From what I understand, USAID has upset many foreign leaders by:
- Conditionally applying aid so that it is only extended to e.g. protesters or rioters acting against the target nation’s current regime.
- Conducting smear campaigns against foreign leaders in order to facilitate regime change.
- The gender confusion stuff is straight from the handbook for cultural subversion - breaking a country’s culture down from the inside to destroy productivity, confuse and disorient them, and prepare them for invasion or civil war
- The focus on birth control is arguably a depopulation agenda - is it our right to be doing this to other countries?
- The 5th goal as stated above assumes that we have the moral authority to come into another nation, use our own definitions of “corruption”, “transparency”, and “accountability” and interfere with the governance process of that nation if we so choose.
Trump has said he intends to bring USAID under the State Department to provide greater accountability into their expenditures, methods, and intent. I hear no intent stated to abolish it entirely. In my view, there is no reason why we can’t accomplish USAID’s mission as originally stated. And in my view, this department would actually achieve their stated mission (which seems to be about making friends for the USA) far more effectively if we could stop them from weaponizing their programs and using them to subvert the processes of other foreign nations.
Imagine you are in a relationship with someone who claims to be helpful, but in actuality is using all of these forms of “help” to subvert your friendships, steal your property, and control and dominate you psychologically. We live in the information age folks. Other countries are becoming wise to the strategies that our intelligence agencies have been using against them. And they’re not happy about it. If you have come to a place in your own life where you don’t entertain such personal relationships, perhaps you can understand also why the international scene wants to shed them like a bad case of lice.
Also, please understand that these programs have been turned as well towards the American population. We are the victims of an extreme amount of psychological warfare. Maybe it’s time to exit this abusive relationship and have higher standards for what comes next.
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Yea looks like Congress intended USAID to be under the direction of the State Dept. They have limited authority to restructure the agency but I am not sure about complete absorption as is being attempted.
Blockquote Does “The Secretary” refer to the executive branch?
So yes this is the Sect of State and yes my understanding is about the same, USAID is being used for all the wrong reasons, it is a tool of the war empire. They give out favors for those who bend the knee and hey give out sticks to anyone who dares stand.
It appears that I view this much the same way that you do. But an interesting case for sure. I originally assumed the Executive had the power to restructure these kinds of Agencies, glad to have learned a bit about how this is suppose to work. We shall see if this translates into how it does work soon.
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