Trump slashes foreign aid as audits reveal decades of USAID waste and fraud

President Donald Trump’s aggressive reduction of foreign aid, shifting resources from USAID to the State Department, has intensified political debate as watchdog reports detail extensive misuse of aid over the past decade. Audits reveal that a USAID contract officer participated in a bribery scheme, that terror-linked individuals were employed by UNRWA, and that millions of dollars in food aid were either spoiled, left in storage or diverted in Ethiopia.

Additional findings include equipment seized by Yemen’s Houthis and large sums of aid lost to poor logistics. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer argued that nonprofit donors, who are major Democratic contributors, have a financial stake in preserving aid programs. Federal prosecutors have recently secured civil settlements and criminal sentences related to aid fraud, signaling a more vigorous enforcement effort under the Trump administration.