OMB freezes all disbursements / USAID shutdown / GOP begs for exceptions for their states

politicalwire.com

GOP Senator Sounds Alarm on Delay of USAID Food

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) said a freeze on federal funding and change at the U.S. Agency for International Development left $340 million in lifesaving food grown in the United States sitting at domestic ports awaiting
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LOL. Time is running out until farm-saving aid runs out for Kansas big ag (and TBF little ag).

But could be the Empress talking.

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Kansas’ Moran, Davids sound alarm on delay of USAID food aid to starving people worldwide​

Marshall proponent of crackdown on alleged fraud, abuse at humanitarian agency​


kansasreflector.com

Kansas' Moran, Davids sound alarm on delay of USAID food aid to starving people worldwide • Kansas Reflector

Kansas' congressional delegation — Moran, Davids, Marshall — share diverse views on potential demolition of U.S. Agency for International Development.
kansasreflector.com kansasreflector.com

“U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said a freeze on federal funding and change at the U.S. Agency for International Development left $340 million in lifesaving food grown in the United States sitting at domestic ports awaiting delivery to locations around the world where people were starving.

… Moran, among farm-state senators on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he encouraged Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state and acting administrator of USAID, to make certain U.S.-grown commodities were promptly shipped and distributed to people in need.

The World Food Programme estimated $340 million in U.S. food aid was idled at domestic ports by order of the Trump administration. In total, $566 million in U.S.-grown commodities designated for humanitarian purposes was locked down in warehouses throughout the world.

“Time is running out before this lifesaving aid perishes,” Moran said.

“Food stability is essential to political stability, and our food aid programs help feed the hungry, bolster our national security and provide an important market for our farmers, especially when commodity prices are low.”

Moran said there was a “moral component to food aid,” but he understood administrative issues with U.S. aid programs had to be addressed. That reform, he said, must go beyond presidential directives so Congress could be “involved in making the decision of what this should look like.” …”
 


“… White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted four that she said were emblematic of “the waste and abuse that has run through USAID over the past several years”: “$1.5 million to advance 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.”

“I don’t know about you, but as an American taxpayer, I don’t want my dollars going toward this crap,” Leavitt said. “And I know the American people don’t either. That’s exactly what Elon Musk has been tasked by President Trump to do, to get the fraud, waste, and abuse out of our federal government.”

But some of those projects weren’t described accurately. And only the first was funded by USAID; the rest were funded by the State Department.

Each of the projects highlighted represents a relatively small amount of money — the entire amount managed by USAID was about$40 billion in fiscal year 2023 (the most recent year with complete data), according to a Congressional Research Service report. That amount is less than 1% of the total federal budget. …”
 
nycfan said:


“… White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted four that she said were emblematic of “the waste and abuse that has run through USAID over the past several years”: “$1.5 million to advance 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.”

“I don’t know about you, but as an American taxpayer, I don’t want my dollars going toward this crap,” Leavitt said. “And I know the American people don’t either. That’s exactly what Elon Musk has been tasked by President Trump to do, to get the fraud, waste, and abuse out of our federal government.”

But some of those projects weren’t described accurately. And only the first was funded by USAID; the rest were funded by the State Department.

Each of the projects highlighted represents a relatively small amount of money — the entire amount managed by USAID was about$40 billion in fiscal year 2023 (the most recent year with complete data), according to a Congressional Research Service report. That amount is less than 1% of the total federal budget. …”
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A ‘Transgender Comic Book’ in Peru​

In 2021, the U.S. Embassy in Peru introduced a comic book called “The Power of Education,” which it used to promote education and exchange programs in the U.S.

The following year, the embassy commissioned a second volume.

“The Embassy asked us to introduce a gay student in #2 to show his personal struggle coming out to his parents, but that has zero to do with being transgender,” David Campiti, who owns the company that produced the comic book, told us in an email. “The comics were about scholarships and furthering education.”

The series ended up including three comic books, each one showing an aspect of cultural exchange and education. View them here, here and here.

The second one is what was highlighted by the Trump administration as a “transgender comic book.” But volume 2 of “The Power of Education” does not include a transgender character. Rather, as Campiti said, it featured a hero who was gay.

The writer of the comic, David Lawrence, said the same thing in a post on his Facebook page on Feb. 4, explaining why the embassy had requested an LGBTQ character. “The US embassy in Peru requested that as a small response to anti gay prejudice in the country,” he wrote.

We reached out to the embassy for comment and were referred to the State Department, which did not respond to us.

Like the first volume, the second one was used to promote education and exchange programs. And, incidentally, it won two awards in 2023, including comic of the year, from a Peruvian organization called Chronicles of Diversity.

The funding for this project didn’t come from USAID, either, but, again, from the State Department.
 
I don't think the fact that its USAID or the State department really matters to most people including me. Its taxpayer funds.

I also don't think it really matters if its a musical or a musical event.
 
gtyellowjacket said:
I don't think the fact that its USAID or the State department really matters to most people including me. Its taxpayer funds.

I also don't think it really matters if its a musical or a musical event.
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I do tend to agree with both of these points, but I'll also confess that I don't really care that much nor give it much thought one way or the other. These things cost, what, something like .000000000000000001% of the overall federal budget? I'm all for trying to clean up wasteful spending in the government but I think there are much, much bigger fiscal fish to fry out there before we concern ourselves too much about spending $47,000 or whatever on cultural events in other countries. The way I view it is that, similar to how we were decimating Russia for pennies on the dollar and with no American boots or blood on the ground in Ukraine, there are way worse investments (and taxpayer expenditures) than spending a few pennies that might build American soft power or goodwill abroad. Just my opinion, though, and I recognize that it's not one that many Americans will share, and that's okay.
 
gtyellowjacket said:
I don't think the fact that its USAID or the State department really matters to most people including me. Its taxpayer funds.

I also don't think it really matters if its a musical or a musical event.
Click to expand...
So if you give reasons for doing something to an organization for shutting them down , it's okay even if they are either misrepresentations or lies?
 

Judge orders immediate restoration of federal funding after Trump's freeze​

Organizations across the country have reported that they were still not receiving funds that had been previously approved.

www.lex18.com

Judge orders immediate restoration of federal funding after Trump's freeze

A federal judge has ordered the immediate restoration of federal funding that the Trump administration attempted to freeze.
www.lex18.com www.lex18.com

“A federal judge in Rhode Island has issued a stern order to the Trump administration, demanding the immediate restoration of federal funding. The court was presented with evidence showing that some funds remained frozen, despite a previous temporary restraining order.

… Judge John J. McConnell Jr.'s latest order compels the administration to immediately restore the frozen and withheld funds.

The judge stated that the administration could request targeted relief from the temporary restraining order if it could demonstrate specific instances where it was acting in compliance with the order.

The Trump administration was also hit with a temporary restraining order on the same issue last week after a coalition of nonprofits sued. …”
 
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