USAID's green energy programs may have done more "harm" to developing nations than anything else, according to a former official at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
"I can’t think of anything that’s harmed the developing world more than the climate agenda," said Max Primorac, a top USAID official under President Donald Trump’s first administration, when asked about programs that had run afoul of American interests throughout the world.
"The strong counter-China infrastructure that we developed over at USAID was simply dismantled by the next administration," he told lawmakers at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing entitled, "USAID Betrayal."
"[USAID] has pushed all of these countries, especially in Africa, to go green. Solar, wind, EV: who produces all of those materials? It's China. Then, on top of it, we tell them, 'No, you can't develop your own fossil fuel industry because it's, it's anti-green.' So, what happens? They can't generate the revenues to create good jobs at home. They can't generate the revenues in order to finance their own health, education and other needs."
USAID MISSIONS OVERSEAS ORDERED TO SHUT DOWN, STAFF BEING RECALLED: REPORT
Primorac claimed that green energy infrastructure in developing countries "increases the price of energy."
According to Primorac, 19 of the top 20 countries receiving USAID are part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, securing aid from the CCP in exchange for influence.
Primorac said that developing nations "want more trade, they want more investment," but "resentment" is building in conservative countries who don’t want "woke things."
The Trump administration, upon assuming office, instituted a 90-day pause on all foreign aid. Trump fired USAID's inspector general Paul Martin this week after he wrote a report claiming Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)'s efforts to dismantle USAID had prevented him from conducting oversight on unspent aid of up to $8.5 billion. Martin's report claimed that about $500 million worth of food aid is at risk of spoiling as it sits in ports while USAID staff in other nations have been called back and placed on leave.
USAID has now been placed under the purview of the State Department and is in the process of whittling down its staff from 10,000 to fewer than 300.
USAID INSPECTOR GENERAL FIRED DAYS AFTER PUBLISHING REPORT CRITICAL OF AID PAUSE
Republican witnesses at the hearing largely agreed that foreign aid was important to fighting global disease outbreaks and securing U.S. interests throughout the world, but USAID’s reputation had been "tarnished" by "mission creep," as former GOP Rep. Ted Yoho, Fla., said.
But Yoho, who said he came to Congress to slash foreign aid before realizing its importance throughout the world, and Andrew Natsios, USAID administrator under President George W. Bush, warned that a blanket freeze on aid throughout the world would be detrimental.
"By pausing U.S. international assistance, a vacuum is created. China, Russia, or others are already moving in to fill those voids," said Yoho.
"Not being effectively present can be arguably worse than pausing a program. And all you have to do is look at South and Central America and look at how much we've ceded to China and their influence from Russia, China and Iran. That has to be dealt with immediately. That's a national security threat."
Natsios said he was "appalled" by how the Biden administration had roped USAID into "culture wars."
"It's a failure," he said. "All of the things I did at AID, I tried to do it in a way that would not alienate the Democratic Party when I left."
GOP CHAIRMAN RESPONDS AFTER PROTESTERS ARE TOSSED FROM USAID SPENDING HEARING
But he noted that "woke" programs were a "small percentage" of the USAID budget, and the agency gives $1 billion per year to Christian NGOs.
Republicans claim there is a waiver process, but aid advocates have said NGOs and charities do not know how to apply for the waiver, and if they receive one, no one at USAID is operating the payment systems that dole out funds.
"I’ve met with these Christian groups, even though they have the waivers, the Phoenix system is not operating," said Natsios, referring to the agency’s financial program. "Please do something about it."
During the hearing, Republicans also pointed to USAID-funded NGOs that were conducting abortions, a program that sent millions of taxpayer dollars to dole out condoms in Afghanistan and Mozambique, $20 million for drag shows in Ecuador and $500,000 to promote atheism in Nepal.
"All of these programs gave USAID a black eye and that’s unfortunate," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, a former chairman of the committee who claimed USAID "blew through" his holds on their controversial programs.
Foreign Affairs Chairman Brian Mast agreed. "When done right, foreign aid can be one of the best tools. It can help strengthen our relationships with our allies and help countries realize America is the best for them," he said.
He promised that more aid oversight was to come.
"We are going to bring in individuals who were responsible for putting these horrible policies in place and reveal all the receipts, videos – all of it – for the American people to see."
DHS has put in a request to Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to reassign IRS criminal investigators to perform deportation duties.
The post DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Wants to Draft IRS Agents for Deportation Task appeared first on Breitbart.
On Thursday, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) blasted "unelected bureaucrats" who have targeted the rights of military veterans who use a fiduciary to help with their finances.
The post Rep. Eli Crane Blasts ‘Unelected Bureaucrats’ Targeting Veterans’ Gun Rights appeared first on Breitbart.
“The ball’s in Pam Bondi's court,” James Comer says of the Biden Five on the latest Drill Down podcast with Peter Schweizer.
The post Comer Tells Schweizer: How AG Pam Bondi Could Still Nail the Biden Crime Family appeared first on Breitbart.
German government officials accused Tesla founder Elon Musk on Monday of attempting to interfere in the country's upcoming parliamentary elections on behalf of the country's far-right political party, citing recent social media posts and a weekend op-ed doubling down on his endorsement.
Musk has attempted to bill the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party as the party best positioned to usher in a fiscally responsible economy in Germany—praising the party's approach to regulations and taxes, while also strenuously defending against allegations of radicalism and neo-Nazi ties.
His comments have sparked the ire of top German government officials, who noted Monday that the timing comes just weeks ahead of Germany's snap parliamentary elections—and are, in their view, clearly intended to influence a German audience, regardless of whether Musk's messaging accomplishes that goal.
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SAYS IT IS WILLING TO IMPROVE TIES—BUT ONUS IS ON TRUMP TO MAKE FIRST MOVE
"It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election," German government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann told reporters at a press briefing Monday.
Hoffmann said that Musk is free to express his opinion, adding: "After all, freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense."
Musk has come under sharp criticism for his apparent endorsement for the Alternative for Germany political party just weeks before it holds snap parliamentary elections in February.
Musk has railed against German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this fall as a "fool."
Musk also praised the AfD last week on his social media platform, X, writing: "Only the AfD can save Germany."
Musk doubled down on his endorsement in an op-ed published in the German center-right newspaper, Welt am Sonntag.
"The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!" Musk said of AfD co-chair Alice Weidel.
He added that in his view, the AfD "can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality."
Those remarks have sparked criticism from current and former U.S. lawmakers, and from leaders in Berlin, who noted the party’s reputation as a neo-Nazi group.
Hoffman, the German government spokesperson, said Monday that Musk’s endorsement of the AfD was "a recommendation to vote for a party that is being monitored [by domestic intelligence] on suspicion of being right-wing extremist," and "which has already been recognized as partly right-wing extremist."
German health minister Karl Lauterbach, also a member of the Social Democratic party (SPD), criticized Musk’s intervention as "undignified and highly problematic."
All mainstream German political parties have ruled out working with the AfD, and its youth wing was designated as a "confirmed extremist" group by Germany's domestic intelligence agency earlier this year.
The AfD, for its part, has rejected that characterization.
The pushback from U.S. and German officials has done little to deter Musk, who used his op-ed to argue that the German economy is crippled by regulatory overreach and bureaucracy, describing the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "the last spark of hope for this country."
"The traditional parties have failed in Germany," Musk wrote in the op-ed of Germany's SPD and other mainstream parties. "Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest, and the erosion of national identity."
The decision to run Musks's op-ed in a center-right newspaper was heavily criticized and prompted Welt am Sonntag's opinion editor, Eva Marie Kogel, to announce her resignation.
One of Former President Jimmy Carter's defining moments was being the president who managed to broker the first peace agreement in the Middle East, successfully ushering in peace between Israel and Egypt after 30 years of war.
With the Camp David Accords of 1978, Carter was able to stand out from his predecessors by notching a success in an area where they had failed.
The feat became particularly notable amid a presidency known for various economic and foreign affairs shortcomings.
According to Martin Indyk, the Lowy distinguished fellow in U.S.-Middle East diplomacy at the Council on Foreign Relations, "Arab-Israeli peace has always been the kind of Holy Grail for American diplomacy."
PRESIDENT CARTER LAUDED FOR POST WHITE HOUSE SERVICE
"There have been other agreements, but none of them so important, as the peace treaty that Jimmy Carter brokered between Israel and Egypt. It was the first, and it was the most important," Indyk, who was once special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations under former President Obama, continued.
The Camp David Accords were signed by then-President Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in September 1978, and signaled peace between the two countries. Egypt was considered the largest and most powerful Arab nation at the time.
Negotiations had begun years earlier, in 1973, and were led by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The start of discussions was prompted by the Yom Kippur War, which had proven an expensive conflict for both Israel and Egypt, as well as the Arab countries it led.
Kissinger had managed to negotiate a ceasefire and disengagement pact, leading to Isreal withdrawing a third of its military forces from the Sinai Peninsula.
Carter first sought to finalize a deal in November 1977, when Sadat historically traveled to Jerusalem and gave remarks on his desire for peace between the countries.
SECRET SERVICE SPOKESMAN ON JIMMY CARTER'S HEALTH: 'FOREVER BY YOUR SIDE'
Indyk described those inital talks very difficult and noted they were ultimately unsuccessful.
"So you had this… moment of great hope created by Sadat's initiative, to go into the enemy's den as it were, into Jerusalem and to speak of peace. But that proved very difficult to achieve agreement," he said. "And that's when Carter took the risky decision to bring both leaders to Camp David to try to broker a peace agreement between them."
The high-risk meeting with both leaders at Camp David was confidential and lasted 12 days.
"They had no certainty at all that they would be able to bridge the gaps," Indyk said of the meeting's sensitive nature.
Carter faced an important question during the meeting: What would happen to the Palestinian people?
"The Palestinian cause was a national cause for the Arabs and so Sadat felt he could not simply abandon them. That he had to have some understanding about what would happen for the Palestinians once he made peace with Israel," Indyk explained.
Indyk attributed Carter's decision to focus solely on Israel and Egypt to the former president's "genius."
JIMMY CARTER HAD ONE OF THE 'GREATEST SECOND ACTS' IN AMERICAN HISTORY, CONSERVATIVE HISTORIAN SAYS
"They had a kind of loose framework for what would happen on the Palestinian front, but essentially, the deal that he did, that he persuaded president Sadat of Egypt to do, was a standalone peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. That's what he succeeded in negotiating that Camp David," he said.
But this result was contrary to what aides for Carter and Sadat both had advised, per Indyk.
"This was Carter’s decision. Against the advice of his advisers and against the advice of Sadat's advisers, it was his decision to go for the separate peace between Israel and Egypt."
The agreement with Sadat went on to become a foreign policy hallmark of Carter's presidency and also earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
"He was an embattled president," Indyk said. "Nothing else was really going well for him. There were other things he achieved, but this was the most important one."
Login