Back when Elon Musk and Donald Trump were still cordial, Musk claimed that USAID had to be dismantled because of corruption and partly because of its waste. Well, they were successful in that mission, and now 500 metric tons of emergency food, costing the American taxpayer $800,000 and stored in Dubai, is scheduled to be burnt to ash upon expiration.
During their demonization of USAID, Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave some caveats, saying, “There are things that [USAID] does that are good, and there are things that it does that we have strong questions about.” Secretary Rubio assured that after the folding up of USAID, the responsibilities of the agency would be handled by his docket and would focus on programs that are beneficial to “national interests.” And if Trump’s recent involvement in Middle Eastern geopolitics is any indicator, then it’s assumed that the stability of countries such as Pakistan is very important to Trump’s administration.
