Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) is introducing legislation to abolish the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and immediately halt all federal funding.
The Trump Administration has highlighted the waste, fraud, and abuse occurring at USAID in recent days. Elon Musk has been especially critical of the program, calling it "a criminal organization" in an X (formerly Twitter) post.
President Donald Trump, Musk, and Congressional Republicans have also brought attention to the left-wing social agendas pushed onto other countries via USAID, such as LGBTQ+ activism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), climate change, and other divisive cultural issues.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was recently appointed by President Trump as Acting Administrator of USAID, and he hinted at a potential reorganization in an America First fashion.
In his press release, Rep. Steube said, "For too long, USAID has funneled billions of American tax dollars into bloated, inefficient foreign aid programs that are riddled with waste, corruption, and ideological bias."
Additionally, he suggested that rather than "benefitting American taxpayers who fund these programs, USAID's initiatives often push progressive social agendas that are out of touch with the values and interests of our nation."
Rep. Steube further suggested USAID has little oversight of its recipients, who "do not have America's interests in mind and misuse the funds for purposes far removed from their original intent."
"It's time to put America first. We cannot afford to continue pouring money into an unaccountable bureaucracy that prioritizes global bureaucrats and political pet projects over the needs of hardworking Americans. My bill ends USAID's wasteful operations and redirects taxpayer dollars toward strengthening our nation's priorities," the Florida Congressman concluded.
In August 2023, former Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced a similar bill to abolish USAID. He said the legislation was immediately justified when the organization announced a program for "comprehensive sexuality education" abroad.
"On Tuesday, I introduced a bill to abolish USAID. The next day, USAID introduced a new framework to promote "comprehensive sexuality education" abroad via 'LGBTQI inclusive development.' They proved my point in less than 24 hours. They do not serve a meaningful purpose. They only work to promote international wokeism. USAID should be abolished," Rep. Gaetz previously said.
