Back when Elon Musk and Donald Trump were still cordial, Musk claimed that USAID had to be dismantled because of corruption and partly because of its waste. Well, they were successful in that mission, and now 500 metric tons of emergency food, costing the American taxpayer $800,000 and stored in Dubai, is scheduled to be burnt to ash upon expiration.
During their demonization of USAID, Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave some caveats, saying, “There are things that [USAID] does that are good, and there are things that it does that we have strong questions about.” Secretary Rubio assured that after the folding up of USAID, the responsibilities of the agency would be handled by his docket and would focus on programs that are beneficial to “national interests.” And if Trump’s recent involvement in Middle Eastern geopolitics is any indicator, then it’s assumed that the stability of countries such as Pakistan is very important to Trump’s administration.
The Atlantic reported that near the end of the Biden administration, USAID acquired high-energy biscuits containing vital nutritional benefits for children under the age of five. These biscuits are meant for children fleeing areas deeply affected by war, unable to set up kitchens in time to provide for these highly vulnerable children, such as the situation in Gaza right now.
These biscuits were stored in Dubai with the goal of distribution in Pakistan and Afghanistan this year. But in January, after several court battles that ended with yet another controversial Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Trump administration, virtually all American foreign assistance was halted.
USAID had acquired the biscuits with the intention of handing them over to the World Food Programme for distribution. Normally, experienced USAID staff handled such sensitive procedures, but now it’s under the tutelage of 27-year-old Jeremy Lewin, who had no previous federal experience before being hired into DOGE by Elon Musk. According to the official website of the U.S. Department of State, he’s now in charge of foreign assistance, humanitarian assistance, and religious freedom. Reportedly, after being sent requests to move the life-saving food by members of USAID, Lewin never responded, and it’s still unclear whether he even actually received the requests.
Marco Rubio reportedly had previously given his word that the food aid would reach its intended recipients before spoiling. And even if the Trump administration has since changed its mind on the “worthiness” of the original intended recipients, there are plenty of areas, such as the Horn of Africa — specifically Sudan — which are undergoing tumultuous civil wars and could find great use for the aid. Instead, the taxpayer will be charged an additional $130,000 just to destroy the already purchased emergency food.
It’s not a matter of entitlement; it’s just a matter of common sense. In what universe is it more beneficial to burn food into ash when there are people starving in various corners of the world? Humanitarian assistance is not a right for any foreign nation, but when the President is overly obsessed with garnering favor for a Nobel Peace Prize, maybe he shouldn’t be burning food to ash while bombing Iran for peace.
The 500 metric tons of emergency food can feed 1.5 million children for a week but upon its expiry this week, Trump’s administration has reportedly given the order to burn it all down.
