This is so fascinating and confusing to me. The theory that cutting foreign aid appeals to anti-war isolationists especially -- I'm not honestly convinced that those two things are related, but maybe that's because I don't see the connection between funding global anti-poverty and public health and funding weapons development. Like, if the goal is to appeal to anti-war folks, why aren't we cutting defense spending?
I'm also curious if anyone knows of any more recent polling on American civic knowledge about budget breakdown. I know polls in the past have shown that Americans as a whole drastically overestimate the percentage of the federal budget that actually goes to foreign aid but the most recent one I found is from 2015 (https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/poll-finding/americans-views-on-the-u-s-role-in-global-health/). But at that time Americans on average apparently believed that we spent more than 30% of our budget on foreign aid, and 15% of Americans believed we spent more than half! So I also feel like cutting foreign aid could very easily be a way for the Trump admin to make it seem like they are making huge cuts in spending, which is popular, while actually making almost no difference to the federal bottom line (and coincidentally depriving humanitarian aid-workers, who are not likely Trump voters, of their income and livelihoods).
Hi Alyssa -- now I’m mad at myself, because I had meant to include that exact poll in the newsletter but clearly forgot. That’s the most recent one I had been able to find too, but the finding aligns with other earlier polls as well to show pretty clearly that at least some of the opposition to foreign aid is based on the misperception that it is a much larger part of the budget than it is. Ironically, part of me wonders if Democratic focus on USAID will only serve to exacerbate this misperception (that is, the more salient foreign aid becomes in the political conversation, the more voters will incorrectly assume it makes up a meaningful chunk of federal spending).
Yes and the dems need to also make sure they report the actual numbers over and over to explain how little we spend to feed babies and prevent Ebola from reaching our shore and help women who were raped fight AIDS. Messaging is so important to the middle class it won’t change hardcore magas but it will speak to the middle
An unelected individual is overriding congressionally mandated spending, essentially staging a coup, and you decided to focus today's post on why Trump thinks killing USAID is a good idea?
Dude, you are missing the point here. If he wants to dismantle the agency, there is a legal way to do that. It is through congress. What he’s doing is illegal.
Most of the time I have some serious disagreement with your analysis. This time I agree that dems will get blowback unless every single post or statement or press conference includes heartrending photos of babies and small children dying from malnutrition and people having their flesh eaten by Ebola and women suffering from aides they contracted from rape. Americans generally care about babies don’t want Ebola in this country and almost all women fear rape. They need to pull on every heartstring to make this about cruelty to said populations
That said every democratic and independent senator should make a similar stand about every appointment until Musk is reigned in and prohibited from accessing our personal and national security info and doggy is cancelled That potential attack on private info, social security checks, tax refunds and payments to contractors not named Musk covers a lot of people who are not hard core magas. This is the real coup and is a clear and present danger to us all
Foreign aid may be unpopular, but what about the popularity of checks and balances? Three branches of govt? Why would you take time to write in defense of what just happened to USAID when the entire concept is based on something that is unconstitutional?
why arent we focused on how many US jobs this loses, at minimum? we cry about coal miners every election and there are less than 40k of them, but 52k USAID jobs for US citizens aren't an issue? where are these people supposed to go? the tesla plants?
The elected president has every right to review an agency within the executive branch. The US Digital Service (now renamed DOGE) is part of the executive branch, almost all of whom are "unelected", as is USAID. The idea that we shouldn't worry about billions and billions of spending because it is such a small part of our total outlays is how we got to a $36+ trillion US federal debt.
Dems have to be better at picking their battles. Fighting to save USAID will not sway voters. They can always reinstate this program once they boot Trump and his MAGA loyalists out from office.
A battle that should be waged is to keep an unelected person who has no official employment with the federal government out of the payroll and Human Resources system.
So the Dems decided foreign aid is the hill to die on and not the takeover of the Treasury by a South African Nazi and a treasonous, racist, bigoted, corrupt, sexual predator (also known as trump)?
They deserve to be replaced by a new political party that has a fucking clue.
Just as the Republican Fascist Party deserves prison time for being traitors to their oath and the Constitution.
Also, that you haven’t written yet about the ongoing takeover of our government by musk, aside from a few sentences on Sunday in the R&R newsletter, makes me wonder why.
I don't care WHY tRump and Muskrat are trying to dismantle USAID and the Department of Education, and soon every other function of government. I don't care if 99.9% of those polled HATE foreign aid. The GOP controls all the levers of government. If they want to dismantle USAID, put forth legislation, make your arguments, bring it to a vote and get it passed. That is how a democracy works.
We are witnessing a coup: An unelected individual has usurped the authority of our elected representatives in Congress.
He has gone so far as to bar employees from their offices, and further, to bar members of Congress from entering a federal facility. His minions have hacked into nearly every sensitive computer system we have. If you or I attempted such a breach, we'd be in jail...NOW. Or we'd be refugees in Russia (Snowdon).
What I want to know is how he got in the door in the first place, how he got access to the "secure" computer systems, and who are the "enforcers" who are barring people from the building. Are they employees of Muskrat, Police officers, U.S. military, pround boys???
tRump is a master of throwing chaff into the radar beam -- tarrifs that exist for 36 hours and are "rescinded". Meanwile, behind the scene, an incendiary missile is about to explode within the system.
We're all counting on folks such as yourself to up your game...we once had a newspaper with a motto: "Democracy Dies in Darkness". They have dropped that to "tell stories". We desperately need penetrating beams of light!
I think your analysis of public opinion is likely correct but the idea that this money will go to help fight poverty is a lie. You know that but people who voted for Trump probably believe it. Still, much as I might not like it, this is a solid piece
I have been told (double hearsay from an instructor who worked at USAID) that the U.S. spends less than 1% of GDP on foreign aid but that dollar amount dwarfs the amount spent by any other country. To the extent we begin to understand facts & figures, all this motion (and emotion) will be well spent. Foreign aid programs should be transparent, accountable and serve American interests. They can be all that in addition to being a demonstration of the"heart and compassion of the American people.” (I would not characterize Ilhan Omar as a demonstration of gratitude nor as an example of loyal opposition” as I would define that term.) Perhaps the younger generation is not conversant enough the Marshall plan?
This is so fascinating and confusing to me. The theory that cutting foreign aid appeals to anti-war isolationists especially -- I'm not honestly convinced that those two things are related, but maybe that's because I don't see the connection between funding global anti-poverty and public health and funding weapons development. Like, if the goal is to appeal to anti-war folks, why aren't we cutting defense spending?
I'm also curious if anyone knows of any more recent polling on American civic knowledge about budget breakdown. I know polls in the past have shown that Americans as a whole drastically overestimate the percentage of the federal budget that actually goes to foreign aid but the most recent one I found is from 2015 (https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/poll-finding/americans-views-on-the-u-s-role-in-global-health/). But at that time Americans on average apparently believed that we spent more than 30% of our budget on foreign aid, and 15% of Americans believed we spent more than half! So I also feel like cutting foreign aid could very easily be a way for the Trump admin to make it seem like they are making huge cuts in spending, which is popular, while actually making almost no difference to the federal bottom line (and coincidentally depriving humanitarian aid-workers, who are not likely Trump voters, of their income and livelihoods).
Hi Alyssa -- now I’m mad at myself, because I had meant to include that exact poll in the newsletter but clearly forgot. That’s the most recent one I had been able to find too, but the finding aligns with other earlier polls as well to show pretty clearly that at least some of the opposition to foreign aid is based on the misperception that it is a much larger part of the budget than it is. Ironically, part of me wonders if Democratic focus on USAID will only serve to exacerbate this misperception (that is, the more salient foreign aid becomes in the political conversation, the more voters will incorrectly assume it makes up a meaningful chunk of federal spending).
Yes and the dems need to also make sure they report the actual numbers over and over to explain how little we spend to feed babies and prevent Ebola from reaching our shore and help women who were raped fight AIDS. Messaging is so important to the middle class it won’t change hardcore magas but it will speak to the middle
Oh, Gabe. I am so disappointed.
An unelected individual is overriding congressionally mandated spending, essentially staging a coup, and you decided to focus today's post on why Trump thinks killing USAID is a good idea?
Confused. What makes Gabe's Substack so good is that he will focus attention on motivations for USAID as well as other topics
Dude, you are missing the point here. If he wants to dismantle the agency, there is a legal way to do that. It is through congress. What he’s doing is illegal.
Interesting. Those Gen Z’ers better realize that money is not coming back them but going towards tax cuts for billionaires and corporations.
Most of the time I have some serious disagreement with your analysis. This time I agree that dems will get blowback unless every single post or statement or press conference includes heartrending photos of babies and small children dying from malnutrition and people having their flesh eaten by Ebola and women suffering from aides they contracted from rape. Americans generally care about babies don’t want Ebola in this country and almost all women fear rape. They need to pull on every heartstring to make this about cruelty to said populations
That said every democratic and independent senator should make a similar stand about every appointment until Musk is reigned in and prohibited from accessing our personal and national security info and doggy is cancelled That potential attack on private info, social security checks, tax refunds and payments to contractors not named Musk covers a lot of people who are not hard core magas. This is the real coup and is a clear and present danger to us all
Foreign aid may be unpopular, but what about the popularity of checks and balances? Three branches of govt? Why would you take time to write in defense of what just happened to USAID when the entire concept is based on something that is unconstitutional?
Has anyone heard of WW2 Less than 1% of the US budget goes to foreign aid
Another interesting fact Less then 2% of immigrants and fentanyl come through Canada
Why hasn't Trump appointed MTG to a cabinet post At least she would be entertaining
Trump is small change Caligula appointed a horse to the Roman senate
Trump doesn't like animals.
why arent we focused on how many US jobs this loses, at minimum? we cry about coal miners every election and there are less than 40k of them, but 52k USAID jobs for US citizens aren't an issue? where are these people supposed to go? the tesla plants?
This is a super important point and one that has not been raised by the press or any politician that I know of.
The elected president has every right to review an agency within the executive branch. The US Digital Service (now renamed DOGE) is part of the executive branch, almost all of whom are "unelected", as is USAID. The idea that we shouldn't worry about billions and billions of spending because it is such a small part of our total outlays is how we got to a $36+ trillion US federal debt.
And instead we are going to take over Gaza? How much will that cost?
Ok, but are you following Musk’s (& his engineers) illegal access to Treasury servers?
Dems have to be better at picking their battles. Fighting to save USAID will not sway voters. They can always reinstate this program once they boot Trump and his MAGA loyalists out from office.
A battle that should be waged is to keep an unelected person who has no official employment with the federal government out of the payroll and Human Resources system.
So the Dems decided foreign aid is the hill to die on and not the takeover of the Treasury by a South African Nazi and a treasonous, racist, bigoted, corrupt, sexual predator (also known as trump)?
They deserve to be replaced by a new political party that has a fucking clue.
Just as the Republican Fascist Party deserves prison time for being traitors to their oath and the Constitution.
Also, that you haven’t written yet about the ongoing takeover of our government by musk, aside from a few sentences on Sunday in the R&R newsletter, makes me wonder why.
Was this written by AI?
I don't care WHY tRump and Muskrat are trying to dismantle USAID and the Department of Education, and soon every other function of government. I don't care if 99.9% of those polled HATE foreign aid. The GOP controls all the levers of government. If they want to dismantle USAID, put forth legislation, make your arguments, bring it to a vote and get it passed. That is how a democracy works.
We are witnessing a coup: An unelected individual has usurped the authority of our elected representatives in Congress.
He has gone so far as to bar employees from their offices, and further, to bar members of Congress from entering a federal facility. His minions have hacked into nearly every sensitive computer system we have. If you or I attempted such a breach, we'd be in jail...NOW. Or we'd be refugees in Russia (Snowdon).
What I want to know is how he got in the door in the first place, how he got access to the "secure" computer systems, and who are the "enforcers" who are barring people from the building. Are they employees of Muskrat, Police officers, U.S. military, pround boys???
tRump is a master of throwing chaff into the radar beam -- tarrifs that exist for 36 hours and are "rescinded". Meanwile, behind the scene, an incendiary missile is about to explode within the system.
We're all counting on folks such as yourself to up your game...we once had a newspaper with a motto: "Democracy Dies in Darkness". They have dropped that to "tell stories". We desperately need penetrating beams of light!
I think your analysis of public opinion is likely correct but the idea that this money will go to help fight poverty is a lie. You know that but people who voted for Trump probably believe it. Still, much as I might not like it, this is a solid piece
I have been told (double hearsay from an instructor who worked at USAID) that the U.S. spends less than 1% of GDP on foreign aid but that dollar amount dwarfs the amount spent by any other country. To the extent we begin to understand facts & figures, all this motion (and emotion) will be well spent. Foreign aid programs should be transparent, accountable and serve American interests. They can be all that in addition to being a demonstration of the"heart and compassion of the American people.” (I would not characterize Ilhan Omar as a demonstration of gratitude nor as an example of loyal opposition” as I would define that term.) Perhaps the younger generation is not conversant enough the Marshall plan?