Dismantling USAID is a Moral and Strategic Necessity
The Times of Israel just ran a post (which was linked at Realclearreligion.org) entitled “Dismantling USAID is a moral and strategic tragedy” claiming the effectiveness of and call for the preservation of USAID. The following is the essence of this story.
Make no mistake about it: USAID was and is indispensable, no matter its faults. The Trump administration’s wholesale demolition of the agency will cause untold suffering to millions of innocent people. USAID provides massive funding to essential programs for people desperate for help. That money is mostly allocated to large NGOs such as Save the Children or Catholic Relief Services and then redistributed to smaller international or local organizations. And yes, some of that money disappears along the way, as Elon Musk and others have pointed out. But a huge amount of it does get through and does fund absolutely essential humanitarian needs
Why would I talk about this on a Baptist blog? Someone has to argue against this thinking linked on a site for religious news. Biblical principles apply and we must always prioritize building a biblical worldview.
What is USAID about?
This is what it is about from the USAID website:
Our Mission: On behalf of the American people, we promote and demonstrate democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. In support of America’s foreign policy, the U.S. Agency for International Development leads the U.S. Government’s international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.
The problem with this mission statement is found in the words, democratic values. The values that USAID has pedaled in the last few decades are immoral and anti-religious. The agency has become a socialist, DEI, and LGBTQ propaganda tool that is at odds with the values of the countries being reached while not representing the values of most Americans. None of these things are associated with the “democratic values” of our Republic, constitution, or history. They are values that are contrary to the created order and have been recognized in recent years, even by atheists, to be socially destructive. It would be better for USAID to do nothing, than for it to promote these values. Shoving left-wing social values down the throats of other countries as a condition for receiving our charitable treats is not a way to gain allies in the world—and it is wrong.
Shine the light of truth and it will set you free.
Another problem with the Jerusalem Post article is that is not necessarily true. While there are good things that USAID has done in providing water, food, and health services in poorer parts of the world, the following statement is problematic.
“And yes, some of that money disappears along the way, as Elon Musk and others have pointed out. But a huge amount of it does get through. . . .”
It is exactly this thinking that justifies organized crime. “Yes, they are a criminal organization, but they keep our neighborhood safe.” This is bribing the cop to look the other way when crime is committed, and then justifying it by claiming that the cop has a family to feed. In biblical terms, it is theft, and the Exodus 20 words “Thou shalt not steal” apply. It is cheating. It is a false balance (Proverbs 16:1). Correct the theft and then meet the need.
Jesus said the truth will set us free. Exposing shady behavior to the bright sunlight of truth is a biblical principle. It’s called accountability. 2 Corinthians 8:16-21 demonstrates the principle of accountability when the churches of Macedonia chose a trusted representative to travel with Paul to Jerusalem with a large offering so that there would be no suspicion or accusation. Let me put it this way, USAID would have a hard time meeting the standard of “providing things honest, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of all men” (2 Corinthians 8:21). It is not a necessity to overlook thievery, graft, and waste in government. Giving up on doing so is foolishness.
The fact that religious organizations have participated in this unholy mess to get funds for their charitable work casts a dark cloud on Christianity itself. Don’t God’s people give enough to meet the need?
The problem of misplaced responsibilities.
Even the good things USAID does are dubious. It is clear that the agency is being used as a vehicle, not to create prosperity and independence, but rather for US diplomatic purposes to create dependency. While I am all for protecting our nation and our people, this is a disingenuous way to do it and it will backfire.
God created the family and social structures necessary to survive. This is how He intended His creation to work. When one institution overtakes the responsibility of another, trouble usually follows. In 1 Timothy 5:13-16, Paul instructs the church to NOT take on the responsibilities of families when there are family members able to fulfill those responsibilities. If the church does that, it becomes a welfare organization rather than an evangelizing and discipling organism. If the government takes over the roles intended for parents, family, or church, it destroys these necessary institutions.
This does not mean that we should not address emergencies when they occur, but that care should be taken so that the proper people are able to respond to needs in the future.
Giving is better than taxing.
Neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament proposes taxation for solving social needs. The biblical solution is alms-giving. There were commands to not harvest entire fields so that the poor could glean (Leviticus 19:9-10). It commands almsgiving (Leviticus 14:31, 21:13). However, the command connects the giver and the receiver directly. While giving itself was not optional, the gift was directed by the giver. The giver could see where his gift was going, and could demand accountability of anyone who was a middle-man in a project.
Giving is better than taxing for the giver. Ephesians 4:28 sees working to give as a remedy for thievery and selfishness. There is misery and obligation associated with paying taxes for such needs, but blessing and joy in seeing someone blessed directly by your generosity.
We, the United States of America, have created this crisis. We nurtured a world that is dependent upon us for security, food, and emergency care. Resolving this crisis will not be easy, but it has become almost completely corrupt and it must be addressed. Right now, USAID is doing more harm than good.
For the audio version of this post, see here: Dismantling USAID is a Moral and Strategic Necessity