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Colorado lawmaker urges Trump to reconsider shutting down USAID

By Marissa Ventrelli February 4, 2025 | updated 6 months ago

Colorado state Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, urged President Donald Trump to reconsider his decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Developed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, USAID provides billions of dollars in overseas humanitarian aid each year. According to the Congressional Research Service, more than 10,000 people work for USAID.

Joseph, who was born in Haiti and moved to the U.S. as a teenager, said she has experienced USAID’s work firsthand in her home country.

She served as the global law and development fellow with USAID’s ProJustice program in Cote d’Ivoire, where she protected the rights of people with disabilities.

“In many African countries, individuals with disabilities face severe discrimination, and USAID played a crucial role in challenging these injustices,” she wrote. “The agency’s efforts to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities are vital, and I have seen firsthand the difference it makes in creating more inclusive societies.”

Joseph acknowledged that the Trump administration has criticized some USAID spending as frivolous but argued that for every instance of expenditure labeled as wasteful, there are countless examples of how the organization is saving and improving lives.

“Closing USAID would not only undo decades of progress but also diminish our standing as a leader in global development, democracy, and human rights,” she said. “USAID is essential to building stronger, more resilient communities around the world, whether through disaster relief, democratic governance programs, or empowering marginalized populations. The work of USAID is a reflection of our nation’s values, and it would be a tragic misstep to close it down.

“I ask that you protect and strengthen USAID’s mission, ensuring it continues its critical work in advancing justice, human rights, and development across the globe,” she added. 

Trump has accused USAID of being run by “a bunch of radical lunatics,” while tech billionaire Elon Musk called the organization “criminal.”

Trump and Musk claim USAID has wasted taxpayer money on funding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives overseas.

According to a White House report titled “At USAID, Waste and Abuse Runs Deep,” USAID has provided millions of dollars in aid to DEI initiatives in countries like Serbia, Ireland, Columbia, and Guatemala.

Among them, the White House report said, were the following: 

  • $1.5 million for DEI in Serbia’s workplaces 

  • $70,000 for production of a DEI musical in Ireland

  • $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia

  • $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru

  • $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala

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