Like many Americans, I had no idea that USAID existed or what their mission was. Now, thanks to President Trump’s DOGE efforts, we are being alerted to fraud and misuse of government funds on a scale that is unprecedented. Every few hours, more details emerge and as they do, I find myself asking, “Am I the only person that wasn’t getting money from this agency?”

Government mismanagement is not a new thing. USAID, which was started with good intentions, has become corrupt. The agency shifted from being about humanitarian aid to being a tool for propagating socialist dogma.

The list is mindblowing. $45 million in DEI scholarships in Burma, $520 million for consultant-driven ESG investments in Africa. There have even been reports that Politico, a democrat-leaning news organization, was receiving money from USAID. Money went to left-leaning Bill Kristol’s organization in the U.S. Another $1.2 billion in awards to undisclosed recipients. These are only a few of the mismanaged expenditures by this agency.

Like many Americans, I have an expectation that the government spends our tax dollars wisely. I know it’s a forlorn hope, but we like to think that it is at least one of the guiding principles. As it turns out, USAID was little more than an unmanaged slush fund -- or worse, managed by one political party to fund their pet projects, friends, and so on.

The temporary shutting down of the agency brought about protests in the streets of Washington D.C. There was a sense of not just rage, but panic. There were cries by members of Congress to arrest Elon Musk… despite the fact he has done nothing illegal. On the digital wasteland of Reddit there were calls to storm the White House and posting reward posters targeting violence against the members of DOGE. The left became unhinged in a way we haven’t seen since the first Trump presidency.

The amount of change that Trump has forced down the throats of the left is unprecedented. We are two weeks into a forensic examination of the nation’s spending and thus far, we are failing this audit miserably.

Don’t blame the auditors for finding the grotesque fraud. We had four years of a President who was mentally incapacitated. It should come as no surprise that officials of the Deep State took advantage of the lack of leadership. Realistically, these problems are likely decades old. 

What Trump and Musk have done with DOGE is brilliant -- they have not only shown the American people where their money has been wasted; in the case of USAID on an epic scale, but they have also elevated the discussion about foreign spending. We need to be asking ourselves, are we putting money out there to make people’s lives better (such as food programs), or are we attempting to buy friends and allies? What is our responsibility on the world stage when it comes to money flowing into these countries?

More importantly, this great grift has taught us that adults need to be in charge of managing such agencies.

There are aspects of what has taken place at USAID that demand investigation, including criminal investigation. Historically, few people go to jail for betraying their governmental obligations. This, and the other things uncovered by DOGE, require thoughtful investigation and, where necessary, criminal charges. Consider me an eternal cynic when I say that I doubt anyone will ever see jail time. But even cynics can have hope. 

Blaine Pardoe is a New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author canceled by one of his publishers in 2022. His conservative political thriller series, Blue Dawn, is the story of the violent overthrow of the government by radical progressives. His new series, Tenure, is about a Punisher-like hero that goes after the woke. He also authors the bestselling military science fiction series, Land&Sea.

Image: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service