DOGE Uncovers Extreme Corruption at USAID
January 30, 2025 | Washington, D.C.
by Tabitha Walter, Executive Director, Eagle Forum
President Donald Trump and his newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk have brought the hammer down on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
While DOGE was auditing various agencies, they found that USAID needed immediate attention. The President issued a hiring and funding freeze and terminated its Washington, D.C. headquarters’ lease. The mismanagement of taxpayer funds is still being uncovered, but what has been reported already is pretty heinous. Corrupt judges and bureaucrats have teamed up to stop the President’s actions, but so far, they haven’t been able to completely stop DOGE’s investigation.
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) who serves as the Chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus has deemed USAID as one of the “worst offenders of waste in Washington” through a series of posts on X. She uncovered $2 million for Moroccan pottery classes, trips to Fashion Weeks throughout the world, $1 million to China’s Wuhan Lab that likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic, and $20 million on a Sesame Street show in Iraq.
This is in addition to $45 million to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in Burma, $520 million for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments in Africa, and $1.2 billion in awards to undisclosed recipients. Their priorities have entirely strayed from their original intentions and are unserious at best.
Much of their spending has never been publicized before. USAID has a history of granting money to terrorists to obtain college degrees. Anwar al Awlaki, a U.S. citizen suspected of recruiting for al Qaeda, was given money to attend Colorado State University because he lied about his birthplace citing Yemen. Eventually, he was killed in a drone strike authorized under the Obama administration. Additionally, $900,000 was given to a Hamas-linked charity in Gaza, and another $122 million to terrorist-backed organizations in the Middle East.
The habit of wasteful spending has become so deep-seated among bureaucrats that they seem to not know how to do anything different. President Trump recently fired USAID Inspector General Paul Martin for continuing to waste taxpayer dollars after DOGE’s attempts to audit the agency. He published a report on their mostly defunct website that falsely claimed $489 million of food assistance to other countries was at risk of spoilage due to the President’s freeze on funding and hiring. In truth, a waiver was obtained to distribute this food. The USAID employees simply did not act promptly to do their jobs. It was clear that Martin was unwilling to work with DOGE, so he was dismissed.
This is not the first time lawmakers have sounded the alarm on USAID and other agencies. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) releases a wasteful spending report each December. Eagle Forum highlights his efforts every year.
However, it took President Trump and the DOGE revelations to motivate lawmakers to act. Even though the Trump administration’s efforts have been somewhat slowed by litigation, they are still exposing the corruption and ultimately forcing the federal government back to serve the American people rather than a politicized agenda.
You can follow the progress of DOGE at doge.gov.
We will continue to report on President Trump’s efforts to right the wrongs of the previous administration. Make sure you are signed up for our emails and mailers here to receive timely information. Also, we need your help in urging Congress to codify the President’s actions so that they are not undone by a future administration. You can contact your lawmakers here.
Tabitha Walter is the Washington, D.C. Executive Director for Eagle Forum. She focuses on conservative policy issues and federal election endorsements for Eagle Forum PAC.