The Dismantling of USAID — now is not the time to look away

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News about the dismantling of USAID may seem old, fatigue setting in with a daily dose of reporting on the onslaught on federal government agencies.

But not for me. For me, this is personal. My daughter, a development economist, went from watching, wondering, hearing anxiety ridden conversations on the fate of their team, to losing her job within a week.

It is personal for the thousands of employees who with the stroke of a pen have lost their livelihoods or have been put on administrative leave, panicked and uncertain of their future. I saw my daughter coming out of meetings, heavy hearted with the angst and anxiousness she heard from her colleagues. Trying to be strong for the less fortunate. Single parents, colleagues with serious health issues worried sick about health care and deep outrage at what had been done to them.

I watched the USAID signs being brought down with dismay — the letters collected in a heap beneath the signage that once was. Only six months ago on a visit to Washington DC, I had looked at the building full of pride for my daughter, to know that she was a part of impactful work that helped the needy, promoted democracy, and supported innovative scientific research.

I had decided to ride out the Trump presidency by tuning out. The injustice wrought by this administration however has jolted me out of my reverie.

Now is not the time to look away.

A page from corporate America

The advertised objective of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a worthy one. All organizations have inefficiencies. Rooting those out, especially for organizations that depend on taxpayer money should be a priority for the government.

Musk seems to be taking a page from corporate America’s restructuring approaches. It is however the wrong page. Generalities to describe problems is a convenient approach to justify urgent action for short-term gain at the expense of long-term change. Who wouldn’t want something done to address government inefficiency and waste of tax dollars? The real work however lies in the methodical unlayering of the problem and addressing the issues that would bring about real change. Change that lasts.

Leadership 101 teaches us that long-term change requires building buy-in from the organization one leads. Explaining the “Why”. What is the motivation behind a decision? A considered approach where sources of inefficiencies are analyzed, ideas solicited from stakeholders, risk assessments conducted on the proposed path forward, and finally, the implementation phase.

Now this may seem like a very long process, but it is essential, because these actions affect wide swaths of American citizens and the world at large. The process does not have to be drawn out. If we are to bring good practices from the corporate world to the government, urgency of action and agility would be good first candidates.

The administration’s reckless actions, full of bluster, seem to be designed to shock.

Unhinge people of their moorings so they are rendered frozen.

Unable to act.

And the worst part of it is the inhumanity of it all.

In case the administration has forgotten, federal workers are Americans too. Doing their jobs as defined by policy makers. Americans whom the President serves. Denigrating them as lazy and redundant is a gut punch they do not deserve. To go back to leadership 101 — your people are your strongest assets! America was built on their talent, innovation and dedication.

Back to the personal

I was forwarded a TickTock video of a man with a MAGA cap identifying as a USAID employee and expressing distress at the fate of USAID. Buyers remorse for having voted for Trump. A young girl, presumably his daughter, stands in the background snickering and simpering with a knowing smile. It becomes clear very quickly that it is an impersonation designed to mock the mission of the USAID and humiliate the people who work there.

After the rage passed, I was overcome with a feeling of deep despondency. Surely, we do not need to stoop to callousness because of differences in our political beliefs. What hope did we have as a society if we cannot feel empathy for the trials of our fellow human beings?

What next?

It is easy to ignore injustice when it has not reared its ugly head in our lives. I am guilty of it. What we are seeing now however are government policies demonstrating a complete disregard for the livelihoods of our fellow citizens. People have become necessary collateral damage in pursuit of efficiency and cost savings, with no evidence provided whatsoever on so called “wasteful” practices.

Since 2001, the USAID budget has ranged between 0.7% and 1.4% of the total federal budget. It was just an easy first target because many Americans are unaware of what the organization does. For example, according to Forbes, USAID funds the Feed the Future labs at the University of Florida, Mississippi State University, University of Nebraska, University of Illinois and Purdue University. The most recent planned recipient was Kansas State University. Hardly the work one would expect of “radical lunatics” as Trump described the people who run USAID.

Now is not the time to look away.

We need to bear witness and tell our stories.

Only a vociferous take down of autocratic leanings is going to prevent the emboldening of the next leader with despotic tendencies who is lurking and learning.

I plan on attending my first town hall ever. A small first step.