Church, journos on Trump’s USAID cut
A recent article in America, a progressive Jesuit-run Catholic magazine (est. 1909), caught my eye not only because of its title but because the main photo showed Filipinos waving and standing around boxes labeled United States Agency for International Development (USAID). “My journey from USAID officer to Jesuit priest” was written by Fr. Benjamin B. Hawley, SJ. It is, in part, a moving late vocation story (he was ordained a Jesuit priest at age 53) but more about what USAID meant to people in remote places around the world and to himself as well.
The article dwelled mainly on newly elected US President Donald Trump’s sudden move to cut, if not totally obliterate USAID that left its workers around the world stunned and perplexed, if not hurting.
Hawley reflects: “As I contemplate the imminent demise of USAID, I am not sorrowful for myself or my colleagues. We contributed our utmost, even to the point of shedding blood. The name of one of my colleagues is etched in a marble tablet on the east wall of the State Department’s diplomatic entrance. She had been a Peace Corps volunteer in India and was killed in 1989 when her helicopter carrying food aid crashed in Ethiopia.
“But if the work of USAID comes to an end, then I will be sorrowful over our country’s lost opportunity to provide generous outreach … But if our government does not recognize the moral imperative to give of our affluence, these needs will remain unmet.” The US is the wealthiest country in the world.
“Folding USAID into the State Department does not offer a real solution,” Hawley points out, “the two agencies are too different in character and mission. This bureaucratic sleight of hand can only diminish USAID’s mission and hasten its demise.”
Thank God for a federal judge who called for a temporary halt to the sudden move that would make thousands of USAID workers jobless. US District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, blocked the order that put thousands of USAID workers abroad on an abrupt leave. He even pointed out that in the rush, some workers were cut off from government emails, leaving them incommunicado in case of emergency. How cruel is that?
An Associated Press report: “At the Vatican, Caritas (Internationalis) on Monday warned that millions of people could die as a result of the ‘ruthless’ US decision to ‘recklessly’ stop USAID funding and hundreds of millions more will be condemned to ‘dehumanizing poverty.’
“USAID is the main international humanitarian and development arm of the US government and in 2023, managed more than $40 billion in combined appropriations, accounting for around 40 percent of the global aid budget. The Trump administration and billionaire ally Elon Musk have targeted USAID hardest so far in their challenge of federal government spending.”
Caritas, the global charity agency of the Catholic Church, called the Trump administration’s aid cut as “reckless.” Alistair Dutton, Caritas secretary general, called the move “an inhumane affront to people’s God-given human dignity, that will cause immense suffering.”
Note that the Catholic Church in the US has its own aid-giving counterpart, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which is the top beneficiary of USAID funds and also has beneficiaries around the world. The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) reported that CRS is preparing for massive cuts of as much as 50 percent.
Trump appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Catholic, as acting USAID administrator. According to NCR, he has promised a full review of USAID’s $40 billion budget.
This week, the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) issued a call for US elected officials “to reverse the catastrophic action of withholding USAID funds from independent investigative newsrooms, human rights, health, and humanitarian organizations around the world.
“To cut off these funds means investigative newsrooms, such as those in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands will be stymied or completely unable to continue this invaluable reporting.”
But GIJN makes it loud and clear: “Our member organizations have shown repeatedly that their reporting has been independent and has come under no pressure from USAID officials or staff—and the results of their investigation show that they report without fear or favor.” This is to counter accusations about USAID support and influence.
GIJN adds that newsrooms play a crucial daily role in checking the abuses of the powerful and wealthy, and the exploitation and subjugation of people by autocratic global and national rulers. “In many cases, these newsrooms provide early warnings of threats to democracy around the world and are the last hope of preserving or restoring democracy and freedom.”
So, you see, newsrooms are not exempt from Trump’s wrecking crew.
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