The Overthinker's Journal

Claims of USAID Fraud

The Overthinker
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The President put out a list of his claims of examples that USAID is perpetrating fraud on the American people. The list is available at the White House website:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/at-usaid-waste-and-abuse-runs-deep/

I’ll be honest, most of them link to a tabloid or a blog that doesn’t provide any proof beyond their assertion that it happened with no context. I’d like to evaluate the proof of these cases to see what the fraud was, so the fact they don’t have proof is a bit of an issue.

I will start with the ones with some actual details I can check.

Here’s a bullet that actually links to a USAID report (at least the archive before the website was taken down)! On that page, it details what the grant was used for:

The amendment to the North Sinai bilateral assistance agreement supports the Egyptian government’s efforts to spur inclusive economic development in the governorate. Through this agreement, USAID will build on previous investments in North Sinai including the provision of potable water to 300,000 residents and wastewater services to 100,000 residents. New activities under this amendment will provide access to transportation for rural communities and economic livelihood programming for families.

Tourism?

Potable water and wastewater sounds like basic human decency. That’s not tourism.

Access to transportation for rural communities? That’s providing people like farmers the ability to actually access these improvements. That’s not tourism.

Economic livelihood? That’s helping the people we are assisting to become self-sufficient. A family that can support itself economically doesn’t get bribed into becoming terrorists. That’s not tourism.

Maybe we can try this one:

  • Funding to print “personalized” contraceptives birth control devices in developing countries

Reading beyond the poor grammar, what do you think they mean by “personalized”? The scare quotes are there to make you think they’re condoms with the user’s name printed on the side.

Okay, let’s check the link:

Commercial IUDs often lead to increased menstrual flow, causing cramping and discomfort among those that have undergone insertion. While the level of this pain can vary in intensity, it sometimes reaches a point that women ditch their IUDs altogether, and the PharmE3D team claim that 10-13% of all users remove them within a year. 

In an effort to further improve the efficacy of IUDs, as well as reduce the suffering of those that adopt them, the PharmE3D team has begun developing an additive manufactured alternative. Although the researchers haven’t disclosed the exact technology behind the project, they have revealed that it’s an “optimized 3D printing process” which personalizes IUDs to lessen discomfort upon their insertion. 

So the group (at the University of Texas, by the way… a red state) has developed a method of creating an IUD that doesn’t hurt as much when inserted, doesn’t cause cramps and menstrual flow to be as heavy, and doesn’t make the women want to rip the things out within a year. Sounds like a pretty good development to me.

Ladies who are reading this, what do you think?

Let’s try another.

Reading the article from the Washington Times:

Mahmoud Al Hafyan, who ran the [charity’s] Syrian division, skimmed as much as $10 million worth of meals funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The meals were supposed to go to Syrian civil war refugees. Mr. Al Hafyan allowed members of the Nusra Front, an al Qaeda-linked terrorist organization, to collect the meals, U.S. investigators said as they unsealed an indictment last week.

So someone involved with charity stole the meals, but that’s evidence of USAID funding Al Qaeda? That’s like accusing someone of funding a gang because gang members stole their car.

Reading further:

“USAID eventually hired a monitor to visit villages where food was supposed to be delivered. That was when they realized the extent of the diversions.”

In other words, USAID employees are the ones who stopped this fraud from continuing. They aren’t the people committing the fraud. If I haven’t made it clear here, this bullet is blaming the wrong people. It’s like saying it is the police’s fault that people break the law.

USAID is not only a way for us to do the right thing for people all around the world, it’s also a way for our country to make friends. If we don’t, China and Russia will, believe me.

As a perfect example, President Trump’s claims that China is taking over the Panama Canal. If we make enemies with Panama, who do you think they’re going to cozy up next to? But if we’re working to support the Panamanian people, they’re more likely to support us.

Please look up the meaning of “soft power” diplomacy. Funding for USAID is cheap compared to the cost of not having them around.

To be clear, you can hold the opinion that we shouldn’t be spending this money on foreign aid. I’d disagree, but you can argue it. But that’s not what Trump and DOGE claimed. They didn’t say they disagreed with spending the money. They said that the legitimate expenses were fraud. I’ve given you three examples where I was able to view the evidence and show the claims of fraud are demonstrably false.