So here’s what Thom Tillis had to say in his prepackaged Made From MAGA response to an email on the subject of cuts to USAID:
“Thank you for contacting me about the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). I appreciate hearing from you. (I seriously doubt that. Ed.)
Many USAID core functions provide key assistance across the globe such as food assistance and combatting infectious diseases with programs like PEPFAR. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have been demanding transparency and accountability from USAID on all funding, programming, and internal structure for years to ensure that USAID is using taxpayer dollars in the United States’ national interest, not as a blank check to foreign entities and special interests.
USAID has continuously resisted and circumvented efforts of Executive and Congressional oversight, allowing concerns to go unanswered and unchecked. There is a long history of wasting taxpayer dollars at USAID on baseless and unwarranted projects, such as the $7.9 million used to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language” and $10 million worth of meals that went to an al Qaeda-linked terrorist group.”
So this “long history of baseless and unwarranted projects” is… two? Even if (and this is a stretch) everything he says about those two projects is 100% true (an impossibility considering the source) that’s $18 million (maybe) out of a budget of around $40 billion (with a B). For those watching without a calculator handy, that’s 0.045%. Even if every word is completely accurate, that’s a fucking ROUNDING ERROR.
I’d also be interested in knowing who this “al Qaeda-linked terrorist for up is, and who gave them that classification. If he thought about it for 10 seconds rathe than simply parroting his provided talking points, it might occur to him that they might have been linked to al Qaeda because al Qaeda FED THEM. (I also suspect that the $7.9 million for the Sri Lankans included a lot more than a seminar on avoiding binary gendered language, because in Sri Lanka $7.9 million would buy a university library.)
But this perspective — how it impacts the people he supposedly represents in the Senate — is one I hadn’t considered. And I’m sure Tillis didn’t either, but I can plead ignorance. He should have known. It’s not like he didn’t spend time in the legislature making sure that such projects were brought into the state’s economy.
Once again, Tillis (and the rest of the NC congressional delegation) were given the choice of voting with the people of NC or voting with Musk. And once again… Tillis voted with the money. Which is how he got to the Senate in the first place.
You give voice to what thousands of us are thinking. Thom Tillis and his kind have to be resisted. All it seems to me we have the power to do is engage in every form of protest we can, while we can!
Post carding is for some, being on the streets is for others, or sharing Thomas' messages, etc. but being silent is not an option for any of us. In the arrest of the Syrian green-card holder at Columbia University and impending deportation (in clear violation of his Constitutional rights), we see the Trumps' first political arrest. It is very likely that dozens, then hundreds more will follow as Trump escalates his authority and normalizes political detention. Resist!
As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, a graduate of Gillings and someone who has worked in global health and development for my entire career, what you describe is spot on and I am very grateful. I am sharing this widely. Thank you.
These are truly sad times for America, for the world. Sending a postcard to the lying liar in the White House, writing messages to congress--but how much good do they do? Can't believe so much damage is possible so quickly yet how long it took, takes to make progress.
As terrible a scenario as it is that you describe, perhaps there is a silver lining. Perhaps the now unemployed NSAID workers could use their skills to help those immigrants facing deportation in our state. A new state bill #153 would empower NC policing authorities to help ICE basically abduct hard-working, tax paying members of our community. It’s outrageous!
We feel powerless against DOGE & DC right now but perhaps not enabling ICE on the local level would go a long way to preserving freedom for all. Please contact your legislators to vote against 153! And please offer any suggestions for what else we can do to help those immigrants facing deportation.
Why do Republicans aim to cut foreign aid, even though it makes up only 1% of the federal budget? Foreign aid fosters peace and trade opportunities for US businesses. Trump's decision may be influenced by poor advice from powerful campaign contributors, as his history suggests a lack of deep thinking on his part. I wonder who could stand to gain from cutting back aid to other countries?
Several groups and countries may experience economic changes:
Countries such as China, the European Union, and other major economies might benefit by filling gaps left by the U.S. in global markets. They can increase their exports to nations that previously relied on U.S. goods and services.
Some U.S. industries could see short-term gains due to reduced competition from imports, leading to increased demand for domestically produced goods. However, this may also result in higher prices for consumers. Countries like Vietnam, Mexico, and the UAE could become more attractive as alternative supply chain hubs. Businesses aiming to avoid tariffs and trade barriers may relocate their operations to these regions. In countries that heavily imported goods from the U.S., local businesses might gain market share as they meet domestic demand.
So, the Orange Glorious Leader is setting into motion yet another obstacle to US development. In a few months when all this nonsense comes together these MAGA folks start losing their jobs, must sell their bass boats and cannot make the truck payment they will look back and say, gee we never had these problems with Democrats. The one thing Trump did accomplish, he created huge tax breaks for billionaires. Now all we must do is wait for some of that money to fallout of their pockets and “trickle down to us.”
Thank you, Thomas Mills. I value your perspective and your thoughtful reporting. And your NC focus!
So here’s what Thom Tillis had to say in his prepackaged Made From MAGA response to an email on the subject of cuts to USAID:
“Thank you for contacting me about the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). I appreciate hearing from you. (I seriously doubt that. Ed.)
Many USAID core functions provide key assistance across the globe such as food assistance and combatting infectious diseases with programs like PEPFAR. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have been demanding transparency and accountability from USAID on all funding, programming, and internal structure for years to ensure that USAID is using taxpayer dollars in the United States’ national interest, not as a blank check to foreign entities and special interests.
USAID has continuously resisted and circumvented efforts of Executive and Congressional oversight, allowing concerns to go unanswered and unchecked. There is a long history of wasting taxpayer dollars at USAID on baseless and unwarranted projects, such as the $7.9 million used to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language” and $10 million worth of meals that went to an al Qaeda-linked terrorist group.”
So this “long history of baseless and unwarranted projects” is… two? Even if (and this is a stretch) everything he says about those two projects is 100% true (an impossibility considering the source) that’s $18 million (maybe) out of a budget of around $40 billion (with a B). For those watching without a calculator handy, that’s 0.045%. Even if every word is completely accurate, that’s a fucking ROUNDING ERROR.
I’d also be interested in knowing who this “al Qaeda-linked terrorist for up is, and who gave them that classification. If he thought about it for 10 seconds rathe than simply parroting his provided talking points, it might occur to him that they might have been linked to al Qaeda because al Qaeda FED THEM. (I also suspect that the $7.9 million for the Sri Lankans included a lot more than a seminar on avoiding binary gendered language, because in Sri Lanka $7.9 million would buy a university library.)
But this perspective — how it impacts the people he supposedly represents in the Senate — is one I hadn’t considered. And I’m sure Tillis didn’t either, but I can plead ignorance. He should have known. It’s not like he didn’t spend time in the legislature making sure that such projects were brought into the state’s economy.
Once again, Tillis (and the rest of the NC congressional delegation) were given the choice of voting with the people of NC or voting with Musk. And once again… Tillis voted with the money. Which is how he got to the Senate in the first place.
You give voice to what thousands of us are thinking. Thom Tillis and his kind have to be resisted. All it seems to me we have the power to do is engage in every form of protest we can, while we can!
Post carding is for some, being on the streets is for others, or sharing Thomas' messages, etc. but being silent is not an option for any of us. In the arrest of the Syrian green-card holder at Columbia University and impending deportation (in clear violation of his Constitutional rights), we see the Trumps' first political arrest. It is very likely that dozens, then hundreds more will follow as Trump escalates his authority and normalizes political detention. Resist!
As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, a graduate of Gillings and someone who has worked in global health and development for my entire career, what you describe is spot on and I am very grateful. I am sharing this widely. Thank you.
They. Do . Not. Care.
These are truly sad times for America, for the world. Sending a postcard to the lying liar in the White House, writing messages to congress--but how much good do they do? Can't believe so much damage is possible so quickly yet how long it took, takes to make progress.
As terrible a scenario as it is that you describe, perhaps there is a silver lining. Perhaps the now unemployed NSAID workers could use their skills to help those immigrants facing deportation in our state. A new state bill #153 would empower NC policing authorities to help ICE basically abduct hard-working, tax paying members of our community. It’s outrageous!
We feel powerless against DOGE & DC right now but perhaps not enabling ICE on the local level would go a long way to preserving freedom for all. Please contact your legislators to vote against 153! And please offer any suggestions for what else we can do to help those immigrants facing deportation.
The Trump and Musk model: All pain, no gain.
MAGA is heartless, especially Musk. Slash, burn and Cut
Why do Republicans aim to cut foreign aid, even though it makes up only 1% of the federal budget? Foreign aid fosters peace and trade opportunities for US businesses. Trump's decision may be influenced by poor advice from powerful campaign contributors, as his history suggests a lack of deep thinking on his part. I wonder who could stand to gain from cutting back aid to other countries?
Several groups and countries may experience economic changes:
Countries such as China, the European Union, and other major economies might benefit by filling gaps left by the U.S. in global markets. They can increase their exports to nations that previously relied on U.S. goods and services.
Some U.S. industries could see short-term gains due to reduced competition from imports, leading to increased demand for domestically produced goods. However, this may also result in higher prices for consumers. Countries like Vietnam, Mexico, and the UAE could become more attractive as alternative supply chain hubs. Businesses aiming to avoid tariffs and trade barriers may relocate their operations to these regions. In countries that heavily imported goods from the U.S., local businesses might gain market share as they meet domestic demand.
So, the Orange Glorious Leader is setting into motion yet another obstacle to US development. In a few months when all this nonsense comes together these MAGA folks start losing their jobs, must sell their bass boats and cannot make the truck payment they will look back and say, gee we never had these problems with Democrats. The one thing Trump did accomplish, he created huge tax breaks for billionaires. Now all we must do is wait for some of that money to fallout of their pockets and “trickle down to us.”
Trump and Musk are on a destruction spree. They don’t care about anything but r anyone except making themselves richer.