6 ms·

> where is DOGE’s evidence of all of this corruption? Presumably this was published by DOGE: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/at-usaid-waste-and-

> where is DOGE’s evidence of all of this corruption? Presumably this was published by DOGE: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/at-usaid-waste-and-abuse-runs-deep/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/at-usaid-wast... I encourage everyone to follow the links and determine the accuracy of the claims being made.

rawgabbit 2y ago
The linked Breitbart article had this: “Between 2005 and 2008, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) devoted at least $330 million in funding to failed ADP projects intended to deter farmers and traffickers from cultivating and trafficking opium.” The article actually said the money was intended to STOP opium production. But the Whitehouse Fact sheet (last bullet point) twisted the facts to say the complete opposite.
- pests 2y ago
  I’m not too sure if that quote you used is even an accurate depiction of what happened. The following paragraph: “the chief at SIGAR, learned that the agricultural development programs — namely those used to rehabilitate canals that have rendered an area more than three times the size of Washington, DC, fertile— have “inadvertently” fueled the cultivation of the poppy crop.” Was it to deter farmers and poppy production, or was it doing what was intended - developing agriculture - with the unfortunate downside of being used for poppy production.
  - rawgabbit 2y ago
    The truth is of course more nuanced but that doesn't make good sound bites. Was it to deter farmers and poppy production? The answer lies in the word "deter" in the quote I copied. Deter means slow/stop. The USAID OIG report I quote below also says the same thing. "The purpose of the program is to counteract...". "was it doing what was intended - developing agriculture"? This is where the reader needs context and Breitbart provided none of that. The Taliban were removed from power in Afghanistan in 2002. It wasn't until 2020, the US withdrew all troops. The period of "corruption" mentioned was in the early 2000s. To address your question, I refer to the IG report https://oig.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2018-06/5-306-10-011-p.pdf https://oig.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2018-06/5-306-10-0.... If you read the quote below, it was intended to do both. The IG report actually blasted the execution of the plan, and it said it was half-assed. I would argue the whole US adventure in Afghanistan and Iraq was half-assed, ad hoc, and hurt US prestige. Not to mention the deaths and tragedies inflicted on all sides. Trump is right in that Afghanistan is a shameful episode in US history. Was USAID's intention to stop opium production? The answer is yes. OIG report on page 7, "Summary. The purpose of the program is to counteract illicit poppy cultivation by providing alternative livelihood programs, improved economic opportunities, and diverse regional economic growth in selected provinces. Furthermore, a key pillar of the U.S. Government’s counterinsurgency strategy involves economic development of areas secured by the U.S. military. Although gains have been made in some targeted southern and western provinces to reduce poppy cultivation, these gains may not be sustainable because (1) no follow-on alternative development activity has been approved beyond March 2011; (2) a critical southern province is not included in the current program; (3) access to markets for cereal crops (such as wheat) is not guaranteed, nor is stability of commodity prices; (4) success of programs outside the mission’s control may affect poppy cultivation and harvest; and (5) the availability of water is uncertain. The impact of not having a follow-on program can be measured in terms of (1) loss of program investment in long-term projects totaling $7 million, (2) loss of economic gains for Afghans including jobs, (3) potential increase in poppy cultivation, and (4) a negative effect on the U.S. Government’s counterinsurgency policy."
jhp123 2y ago
> $6 million to fund tourism in Egypt [link explains it is to fund economic development in North Sinai] This sounds like an absolutely expected program for USAID, given that it is a soft power aid agency. Egypt is a regional partner to the US and this province has been a source of Islamist violence. It also borders the Gaza Strip.
- cycomanic 2y ago
  From the link: > Through this agreement, USAID will build on previous investments in North Sinai including the provision of potable water to 300,000 residents and wastewater services to 100,000 residents. New activities under this amendment will provide access to transportation for rural communities and economic livelihood programming for families. How is that funding tourism? Also a lot of other links are simply pointing to "news" organisations (in quotation marks, because I'm not sure if I'd call daily mail news), who report on cuts done by DOGE, that's some circular referencing.
discreteevent 2y ago
This is beyond belief. It's a Whitehouse website with a list of claims of wasted money on the part of USAID. But instead of evidence unearthed by DOGE the first three claims link to a Daily Mail page. The Daily Mail is a junk newspaper in the UK!
- culi 2y ago
  And Breitbart lol. Might as well be citing 4chan
  - Aeolun 2y ago
    I wonder if 4chan is more reliable :?
  - seattle_spring 2y ago
    Wow, this really belies belief. Extremely sad to see people actually falling for obvious half-truths being put out by rags like that.
throwecommerce 2y ago
This should be the real submission here
_pete_ 2y ago
on the "$70,000 for DEI musical in Ireland" "The woke extravaganza in question was actually something called Dignity, a live-streamed set of performances from the US ambassador’s residence in the Phoenix Park in September 2022 that featured, among others, the American folk musician Rhiannon Giddens, the Italian instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, the singer-songwriter Mick Flannery and the fiddler Martin Hayes. Having examined the evidence on YouTube, I regret to inform you that there is nothing about white fragility, queer theory or any of the other progressive shibboleths that have attained the same status in this White House that the dictatorship of the proletariat had for the un-American activities committee of the US House of Representatives in the late 1940s. It is certainly true that the accompanying promotional bumf for the gig (which was sponsored by the well-known radical agitators Coca-Cola and PwC, among others) was full of the sort of platitudes that were so in vogue in the faraway days of the early 2020s. “The Biden administration is committed to principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access,” we were informed. “With this event we aim to highlight and celebrate the work that the embassy, the Irish Government and our partners are doing to advance DEI throughout Irish society. These ideals have long underpinned the strong relationship between both countries.” Not any more." https://www.paywallskip.com/article?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fculture%2Fstage%2F2025%2F02%2F07%2Fthe-insane-irish-musical-slammed-by-the-white-house-as-a-waste-of-70000%2F https://www.paywallskip.com/article?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ir...
- SV_BubbleTime 2y ago
  How does this forward US interests?
  - torlok 2y ago
    How is this relevant? The discussion is about misrepresentation and lies.
    - SV_BubbleTime 2y ago
      Because it’s my money.
  - 2y ago
ketlag 2y ago
Are you being serious. All this stuff has been going on for decades, and the data has been public for years. If you think this is corruption, not an argument I'm trying to have (a lot of it is fwiw,) then wait till you see what these guys have planned haha.
sensanaty 2y ago
The white house is citing... Breitbart and the daily mail? The real kicker is the daily mail "articles" don't have a single solitary source of their own that they link to or even mention. Truly incredible times we live in.
culi 2y ago
This is basically a blog post that lists 12 bullet points that all cite Daily Mail, Breitbart, and Washington Examiner and then says > The list literally goes on and on — and it has all been happening for decades. People who get all of their information from twitter have taken over the highest offices in government...
TrackerFF 2y ago
Who...who wrote that? I've seen local facebook crackpots with more rigorous use of citations / references. This might be the worst I've ever seen, from officials. This is one step away from "trust me bro"
phorkyas82 2y ago
> $6 million to fund tourism in Egypt deal was reported: Monday, December 16, 2019 Just like a programmer complaining about some atrociously bad code only to learn she has committed it herself.

rawgabbit 2y ago

The linked Breitbart article had this: “Between 2005 and 2008, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) devoted at least $330 million in funding to failed ADP projects intended to deter farmers and traffickers from cultivating and trafficking opium.” The article actually said the money was intended to STOP opium production. But the Whitehouse Fact sheet (last bullet point) twisted the facts to say the complete opposite.

pests 2y ago
I’m not too sure if that quote you used is even an accurate depiction of what happened. The following paragraph: “the chief at SIGAR, learned that the agricultural development programs — namely those used to rehabilitate canals that have rendered an area more than three times the size of Washington, DC, fertile— have “inadvertently” fueled the cultivation of the poppy crop.” Was it to deter farmers and poppy production, or was it doing what was intended - developing agriculture - with the unfortunate downside of being used for poppy production.
- rawgabbit 2y ago
  The truth is of course more nuanced but that doesn't make good sound bites. Was it to deter farmers and poppy production? The answer lies in the word "deter" in the quote I copied. Deter means slow/stop. The USAID OIG report I quote below also says the same thing. "The purpose of the program is to counteract...". "was it doing what was intended - developing agriculture"? This is where the reader needs context and Breitbart provided none of that. The Taliban were removed from power in Afghanistan in 2002. It wasn't until 2020, the US withdrew all troops. The period of "corruption" mentioned was in the early 2000s. To address your question, I refer to the IG report https://oig.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2018-06/5-306-10-011-p.pdf https://oig.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2018-06/5-306-10-0.... If you read the quote below, it was intended to do both. The IG report actually blasted the execution of the plan, and it said it was half-assed. I would argue the whole US adventure in Afghanistan and Iraq was half-assed, ad hoc, and hurt US prestige. Not to mention the deaths and tragedies inflicted on all sides. Trump is right in that Afghanistan is a shameful episode in US history. Was USAID's intention to stop opium production? The answer is yes. OIG report on page 7, "Summary. The purpose of the program is to counteract illicit poppy cultivation by providing alternative livelihood programs, improved economic opportunities, and diverse regional economic growth in selected provinces. Furthermore, a key pillar of the U.S. Government’s counterinsurgency strategy involves economic development of areas secured by the U.S. military. Although gains have been made in some targeted southern and western provinces to reduce poppy cultivation, these gains may not be sustainable because (1) no follow-on alternative development activity has been approved beyond March 2011; (2) a critical southern province is not included in the current program; (3) access to markets for cereal crops (such as wheat) is not guaranteed, nor is stability of commodity prices; (4) success of programs outside the mission’s control may affect poppy cultivation and harvest; and (5) the availability of water is uncertain. The impact of not having a follow-on program can be measured in terms of (1) loss of program investment in long-term projects totaling $7 million, (2) loss of economic gains for Afghans including jobs, (3) potential increase in poppy cultivation, and (4) a negative effect on the U.S. Government’s counterinsurgency policy."

jhp123 2y ago

> $6 million to fund tourism in Egypt [link explains it is to fund economic development in North Sinai] This sounds like an absolutely expected program for USAID, given that it is a soft power aid agency. Egypt is a regional partner to the US and this province has been a source of Islamist violence. It also borders the Gaza Strip.

cycomanic 2y ago
From the link: > Through this agreement, USAID will build on previous investments in North Sinai including the provision of potable water to 300,000 residents and wastewater services to 100,000 residents. New activities under this amendment will provide access to transportation for rural communities and economic livelihood programming for families. How is that funding tourism? Also a lot of other links are simply pointing to "news" organisations (in quotation marks, because I'm not sure if I'd call daily mail news), who report on cuts done by DOGE, that's some circular referencing.

discreteevent 2y ago

This is beyond belief. It's a Whitehouse website with a list of claims of wasted money on the part of USAID. But instead of evidence unearthed by DOGE the first three claims link to a Daily Mail page. The Daily Mail is a junk newspaper in the UK!

culi 2y ago
And Breitbart lol. Might as well be citing 4chan
- Aeolun 2y ago
  I wonder if 4chan is more reliable :?
- seattle_spring 2y ago
  Wow, this really belies belief. Extremely sad to see people actually falling for obvious half-truths being put out by rags like that.

throwecommerce 2y ago

This should be the real submission here

_pete_ 2y ago

on the "$70,000 for DEI musical in Ireland" "The woke extravaganza in question was actually something called Dignity, a live-streamed set of performances from the US ambassador’s residence in the Phoenix Park in September 2022 that featured, among others, the American folk musician Rhiannon Giddens, the Italian instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, the singer-songwriter Mick Flannery and the fiddler Martin Hayes. Having examined the evidence on YouTube, I regret to inform you that there is nothing about white fragility, queer theory or any of the other progressive shibboleths that have attained the same status in this White House that the dictatorship of the proletariat had for the un-American activities committee of the US House of Representatives in the late 1940s. It is certainly true that the accompanying promotional bumf for the gig (which was sponsored by the well-known radical agitators Coca-Cola and PwC, among others) was full of the sort of platitudes that were so in vogue in the faraway days of the early 2020s. “The Biden administration is committed to principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access,” we were informed. “With this event we aim to highlight and celebrate the work that the embassy, the Irish Government and our partners are doing to advance DEI throughout Irish society. These ideals have long underpinned the strong relationship between both countries.” Not any more." https://www.paywallskip.com/article?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fculture%2Fstage%2F2025%2F02%2F07%2Fthe-insane-irish-musical-slammed-by-the-white-house-as-a-waste-of-70000%2F https://www.paywallskip.com/article?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ir...

SV_BubbleTime 2y ago
How does this forward US interests?
- torlok 2y ago
  How is this relevant? The discussion is about misrepresentation and lies.
  - SV_BubbleTime 2y ago
    Because it’s my money.
- 2y ago

ketlag 2y ago

Are you being serious. All this stuff has been going on for decades, and the data has been public for years. If you think this is corruption, not an argument I'm trying to have (a lot of it is fwiw,) then wait till you see what these guys have planned haha.

sensanaty 2y ago

The white house is citing... Breitbart and the daily mail? The real kicker is the daily mail "articles" don't have a single solitary source of their own that they link to or even mention. Truly incredible times we live in.

culi 2y ago

This is basically a blog post that lists 12 bullet points that all cite Daily Mail, Breitbart, and Washington Examiner and then says > The list literally goes on and on — and it has all been happening for decades. People who get all of their information from twitter have taken over the highest offices in government...

TrackerFF 2y ago

Who...who wrote that? I've seen local facebook crackpots with more rigorous use of citations / references. This might be the worst I've ever seen, from officials. This is one step away from "trust me bro"

phorkyas82 2y ago

> $6 million to fund tourism in Egypt deal was reported: Monday, December 16, 2019 Just like a programmer complaining about some atrociously bad code only to learn she has committed it herself.