by The Washington Times Editorial Board
Nothing has stirred liberal outrage more in recent weeks than the temporary closing of USAID. Protesters shedding crocodile tears surrounded the headquarters Monday to condemn President Trump for locking the agency’s doors, sending employees home and cutting off the monetary spigot.
The president’s 90-day pause on foreign aid spending has struck a nerve.
Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, performed for the assembled television cameras, describing the lifesaving initiatives around the world threatened unless the checks go out the door.
Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, knows better. “While marketed as support for development, democracy, and human rights, the majority of these funds are funneled into opposition groups, NGOs with political agendas, and destabilizing movements,” he wrote on X.
In 2021, he said, the Biden administration used the agency to prop up a communist protest movement in San Salvador to oppose his government. He released WhatsApp messages from administration officials as evidence of the meddling in his country’s democratic process.
Noting that only a fraction of USAID cash goes to legitimate causes,…
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