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Easterly is probably the most famous critic of foreign aid within academia, but he knows the Trump administration is acting illegally with the way they are trying to end foreign aid
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William Easterly
@bill_easterly
newyorker.com/news/the-finan
David Watson 🥑
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where in the constitution is congress or the executive empowered to give money to other countries? it cannot be illegal to end unconstitutional programs
Who cares what academics think honestly? Elon has actually built and fixed large organizations many times. Academics have no such track record.
What specifically is illegal? CFR 200.340 governs the termination of awards. That can occur when "an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities"
In part of the “democratic” process having Congress audit these groups and not the Executive Branch? One the huge worries was putting the consumer protection board in the Fed. It fan its own world without Congress.
It's not foreign aid.
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Mike Benz
@MikeBenzCyber
No, really: if USAID was really saving lives, how come we haven’t seen impassioned speeches this week from 40-50 Prime Ministers & Presidents around the world that tens of thousands of their citizens are going to die? Why are they all so silent — and why do many seem relieved? x.com/mikebenzcyber/…
Nooooo you can't just cut foreign aid😭 you have to leave it forever and do endless committee meetings and only bloat the bureaucracy forever waaaaa
Folks like Easterly aren’t really interested in slowing foreign aid. That’s performative. It’s his role, his schtick. He’s not ready to stop playing yet.
I struggle to understand that how aid was distributed was “legal and democratic” but auditing it and shining a light on it for the public to see it was spent on things they never would have supported is undemocratic?
Holy fuck I'm tired of seeing losers like you on my timeline. If you want to give a bunch of terrorists money then be my guest, but don't force other taxpayers to do so. You evil assholes should stay on bluesky.
"acting illegally" Because Congress specifically allocated all the funds DOGE exposed? "undemocratic" Because voters strongly support USAID spending?
He's assuming the setting up of the fund was "democratic". Also curious about how winding up any govt fund is illegal?