One of President Trump’s most important campaign promises was to bring accountability and transparency to federal government spending. Under the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), his administration didn’t waste any time getting to work.
Within weeks of Trump’s inauguration, DOGE had uncovered billions of dollars in waste and abuse of taxpayer funds under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Here are just a few of the ways the Trump administration discovered USAID was spending your tax dollars:
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- $1.5 million to “advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”
- $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala.
- Millions to EcoHealth Alliance — which was involved in research at the Wuhan lab.
- $1 million to boost French-speaking LGBTQ groups in West and Central Africa through the State Department.
- $15 million for condoms to the Taliban through USAID.
This list barely scratches the surface of the waste and abuse that was discovered. But now, it appears it’s not just the federal government that’s been throwing your money around to outlandish woke initiatives. Arizona may have its very own USAID scandal.
A group of Republican lawmakers led by Rep. David Marshall recently completed an investigation into the City of Phoenix, and what they found was eye-opening. Over the past five years, the city has distributed more than $28.5 million of taxpayer funds to over 100 private organizations with a shocking lack of oversight. And what causes do you think they’re supporting? Certainly not conservative ones.
The investigation revealed that Phoenix’s USAID slush funds are being used to bankroll non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that support liberal causes and enrich political friends. Groups like Phoenix Film Foundation, Phoenix Pride Inc., Mexican Baseball Fiesta LLC, the Arizona Science Center’s Galaxy Gala, and many more received subsidies under vague labels including “Sponsorships,” “Grants and Subsidies,” “Emerg[ency] Assist[ance],” or “Miscellaneous.” (You can see the full list here.)
Of course, this is illegal. But the city is trying to use an outdated ordinance to justify these giveaways. Incredibly, it claims that its department directors can just pass out $32,000 to any organization it wants to! You read that right. The bureaucrats in the City of Phoenix actually believe that they can create these USAID slush funds and dole out the money to any special interest at the sole discretion of a single city employee. On top of that, the city doesn’t even track these donations by nonprofit status, so it has no idea how much taxpayer money it has handed out.
While this investigation has focused solely on Phoenix, it’s likely that it’s not the only city doing this. It’s been an open secret for years that various liberal non-profits have been gravy training off local governments, just like what’s been happening at USAID. All of this serves no other function than to fund the Democrat operation in Arizona while filling the coffers of their political friends (and family members). It’s something Governor Katie Hobbs has perfected with things like a $700,000 contract for Urias Communications, owned by the brother of her former Office of Tourism Director Lisa Urias, to create a new state logo.
These USAID slush funds must be cut off throughout our state, and it’s great that these three legislators flagged it. It’s even better that the Goldwater Institute has stepped in ask for a deeper investigation from Arizona’s Attorney General and has pledged to explore further legal actions if she declines. But we shouldn’t stop there.
City and local governments should not be spending your tax dollars without the clear legal authority to do so. And these “expenses” are a clear violation of the Arizona Constitution’s Gift Clause, which prohibits the government from subsidizing private organizations. It’s time for our legislature to consider conducting audits of various cities and political subdivisions in the state. The people of Arizona deserve to know if NGOs are grifting off taxpayers. And if they are, it must be stopped immediately.
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