How the murder of Elon Musk of USAID harm in the United States

When Elon Musk claims that he wants to close the American Agency for International Development (USAID) because it is a “Viper’s nest” and a “verse ball” Lots of bad players, you can be skeptical. (And you would have a good reason to doubt, taking into account musks 70 lies and more blatant than to be noted on its own service, Twitter / X.) You may agree with legislators and legal experts that Musk effort to close USAID East manifestly unconstitutional. You can be part of an increasing majority of Americans (53% in the last Quinnipac survey) Which disapproves of the role of the technological billionaire in the government.

And yet, you would also be in a majority if you worry about the size of the federal budget deficit (1.8 billion of dollars each year and up). Gallup polls ask questions about it each yearAnd the percentage of Americans who say they are concerned about the “many” deficit has been greater than 50 since 2023. Out of this deficit and allow America to take care of itself.

But you are mistaken, on the two accounts.

“Americans overestimate the share of the federal budget spent on foreign aid,” concluded a Chicago Council survey This asked respondents to guess the percentage. The average supposition was 8.5%, which in 2025 would be more than $ 620 billion. USAID’s actual current real budget: no more than $ 40 billion, no less than 1%. Musk, worth $ 414 billion at the last count, could finance the agency with its own pocket for more than a decade.

So why does Musk really target this tiny department in his Quixotic Quest to cut 2 billions of dollars in federal spending? What really does USAID do? Is it just a charity work, or are there good reasons to believe that even in a clear and hard nose with a hard nose, the USAID offers a significant return on investment (return on investment) for long -term America? Should a futuristic (who is What Musk claims that he is) In fact, I want to finance it more? (Spoiler: yes.)

What Usaid does, exactly

Funny thing about this investigation into international aid. Even if they opposed a great effort to help the mythical government, the solid majority of the American citizens supported spending for what USAID do.

In fact, 82% supported help in the event of a disaster in places torn by war and torn apart by bad weather in the world. (A fairly comforting statistic, unless you are one of the 18% that apparently lacks empathy for their human compatriots.)

Some 80% wanted to provide food and medical assistance to the most necessary people on the land, and 76% want to help farmers in countries struck with more productive famine.

Elon Musk takes note: this seems to be a 24% ceiling in favor of the position that the richest country of the earth should let human beings die of hunger, without even “teaching a man to fish”.

USAID was first funded by an act of Congress in 1961, then created by President John F. Kennedy. The Cold War was at its peak. A key battlefield for the United States and the Soviet Union was the opinion of the rest of the world, so a healthy aid budget had a meaning.

Even after the Cold War, however, Usaid made sense. The congress officially confirmed it as a distinct agency in 1998, and it was Reautized by legislation 5 times since 2016. Climate change accelerates natural disasters. There are more epidemics, which USAID worked actively to prevent. Whenever the United States can help, it looks magnanimous; Withdrawal of aid financing, as we have seen in recent weeks, Creates chaos in vulnerable regions And Dictators.

Cutting Usaid is not the way

It is not as if there was no effectiveness to add or to fat to cut the federal government, Al Gore knows. Many of the two sides of the political abyss found a moment in agreement with Musk on November 24, 2024, when chief X Put the Giant Defense Entrepreneur Lockheed Martin in sight Above the F-35-an aircraft that cost the government for 10 billions of dollars and count, and as Musk said, it is Less adapted to modern war than a drone swarm.

Mashable lighting speed

The inflated pentagon budget, which is On the right track to reach $ 1 billion for the first time this yearwould surely be the first natural objective of any technological framework for reducing costs as Musk when the America Inc. Yes, security is important in any business. But in this case, the expenses of the head of security are out of control. It is more than the defense budgets of The next 9 most countries to spend (uh, businesses?)?) combined.

However, Musk must work in a party that calls for a Massive “generational increase” of military spending. Why shake the boat and risk its own position? The same goes for these other giant government programs, social security and health insurance, for obvious reasons: Musk does not want to fight all seniors in America.

So instead, it seems, Doge has become “shock and fear” On the lowest fruit. Or, to be less charitable, Musk adopted conventional intimidation tactics: choosing the weakest kid from the school courtyard instead of this frightening giant child carrying fatigue.

Why should USAID be important for musk

USAID is one of the smallest departments of the government, one without a natural district in the United States, it is the one who helps impoverished people (and not to put too fine, mainly bipoc) in the world.

But even if you direct the country as a business, this is where you find the king in the long term. If you are looking for a strong, safe and prosperous world for America to do business, this agency provides (and could provide much more).

Usaid is commercial development,, marketingAnd security expenditure All in one. In the long term, Dollar for Dollar, this could be one of the most effective ways to spend America. Can the best historical proof that helping other countries overeating American growth? Two words: Marshall Plan.

Most of Europe was broken and impoverished after the Second World War. Long -term economists have noted what seems obvious to us: a prosperous Europe would be a much cheaper to buy all online luxury products in the 1940s.

Geopolitical experts also noted the evidence; That a broken Europe can be easy choices for the type of communist dictatorship, then take root worldwide. The Truman administration accepted, despite many quarrels at the Congress.

Now the Marshall plan was incredibly Dear; A total of $ 150 billion in today’s dollars. In 1949 alone, the money that Secretary of State George Marshall sent to 16 European countries totaled approximately 12% of the federal budget. It was so controversial that the US government must have Commerce A film explaining to the average American why a program that cost them $ 80A lot of money at that time, was worth it.

These days, we know why. These 16 countries had restored their savings at the pre-war levels in 1950And quickly became the strongest business partners in America and the nearest allies. THE American GDP jumped 37% in the 1950s only.

The only other time he played as it was in the 1990s, when, Ahem, Global Web has been launched and American GDP has doubled. Few industries outside the Silicon Valley, and few companies inside, have never seen this kind of return on investment in a decade.

Killing Usaid by contrast is, as the experts have noted, A gift to Russia and China.

It is a gift for Russia because the largest current line element, the USAID budget goes to Ukraine, which was also devastated by the Russian invasion, because many of these European countries have been by the Nazis in 1945.

And it is a gift for China, which has made its own supercharged version of the Marshall plan since 2013: the Belt and Road initiativewhich invests in more than 150 countries around the world.

China obtains it, and Not only in terms of construction better, cheaper ai.

The world is a market for infrastructure and ideas. Providing the first and spreading the second becomes easier. Kill Usaid just when America loses the head of AI, and you would better hope that the country has a positive image in the country market despite everything – and News, there is no great.

If Musk succeeds in killing USAID, despite constitutional obstacles, then this can be the main impact: he will finish a disastrous brand change in the United States in the eyes of the world. America will be seen for what it is under Musk: a cruel militarist oligarchy, more and more back. Whoever willingly spend a dollars billion per year to fill a fist with arms, while offering in his hand open not a single penny.