cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25996814
The Trump administration will fire 2,000 United States Agency for International Development employees and place thousands more on leave Sunday after a judge ruled President Donald Trump has the authority to make cuts at the agency.
I don’t understand A) how these decisions can be made so quickly, isn’t there like a ton of research that goes into these judicial decisions? B) Why Trump thinks cutting off aid to other countries is such a good idea, having millions of more homeless, desperate, hungry people in the world creates opportunity for terrorist orgs to recruit, and for famine/diseases to spread.
B) he doesn’t think it’s a good idea, Putin does. It will destroy the US’s soft power abroad for decades and will give the US’s enemies/competitor states a huge leg up in developing nations. China and Russia have already been carving up any parts of Africa that the US doesn’t have strong enough diplomatic ties to with asymmetric trade agreements that are sweetened with humanitarian or infrastructure-building ‘aid’ that’s really loans. Expect that to accelerate as the US withdraws these programs and good will evaporates.
B is easy. 2 months ago if you asked a lot of Americans they would say we spend to much on foreign aid. This is good enough for him to want to cut it off. The money wont go to helping anyone in the US, but it sounds good to cut it.
As to your point A, I think you confusion comes from thinking the system is still working, there was no research, they just had to wait enough time for the bank transfers to finalize.
The answer to the second is it makes him more powerful. Sure, the USA would have more power if he didn’t, but he is not the USA.