When big government faces the chopping block, strange alliances form. The Washington establishment sticks together when their pet projects get threatened—regardless of political party.
Money, power, and influence create friendships across party lines. And nothing brings former rivals together faster than when someone starts draining their swamp.
Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama made a rare joint appearance this week. They teamed up with U2 singer Bono to condemn President Trump’s decision to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The agency officially closed its doors on Tuesday after being absorbed by the State Department.
From ‘Fox News’:
Former President George W. Bush joined up with former President Barack Obama and U2 singer Bono to comfort United States Agency for International Development employees Monday, while also taking shots at President Donald Trump and his administration for shuttering the agency plagued by accusations of fraud and abuse.
“Gutting USAID is a travesty, and it’s a tragedy,” Obama said in a video that was shown to departing USAID employees Monday, according to The Associated Press. “Because it’s some of the most important work happening anywhere in the world.”
Obama called the closure “a colossal mistake” while Bush—who typically stays quiet about Trump policies—lamented that the end of USAID marks an end to his administration’s work rolling out an AIDS and HIV program.
Billions In Waste Exposed
What the former presidents didn’t mention was why USAID got shut down in the first place. The agency was investigated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) back in February. They found widespread mismanagement and wasteful spending.
In his March address to Congress, President Trump highlighted $22 billion in government “waste” identified by DOGE, including shocking examples from USAID:
“Forty-five million dollars for diversity, equity and inclusion scholarships in Burma. Forty million to improve the social and economic inclusion of sedentary migrants. Eight million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of,” Trump pointed out.
He also cited “$60 million for indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombian empowerment in Central America” and “$8 million for making mice transgender.” Your tax dollars at work!
America First Approach
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who oversaw USAID’s closure, made it clear that foreign aid isn’t ending—it’s being reformed.
“Beyond creating a globe-spanning NGO industrial complex at taxpayer expense, USAID has little to show since the end of the Cold War,” Rubio wrote. “Development objectives have rarely been met, instability has often worsened, and anti-American sentiment has only grown.”
The remaining foreign assistance programs that truly serve American interests will now be managed directly by the State Department. This change promises greater accountability and efficiency—something American taxpayers deserve.
Establishment Pushback
Critics of the closure have been vocal. Bono dramatically claimed that millions would die because of the cuts and recited a poem at the USAID farewell event, saying: “They called you crooks. When you were the best of us.”
A controversial study published in the medical journal Lancet claimed the cuts could cause 14 million additional deaths by 2030. However, State Department officials called out the study for using “incorrect assumptions” and reassured that aid would continue in a “more efficient” way.
What Bush, Obama, and their celebrity friends fail to mention is that USAID employed 10,000 people—two-thirds of whom worked overseas. That’s a massive bureaucracy with high administrative costs that often didn’t deliver results.
The closure of USAID represents a turning point in how America handles foreign aid. Instead of funding questionable projects that often don’t align with our values or interests, the Trump administration is ensuring that American generosity serves both humanitarian needs and our national security.
When former presidents and rock stars team up to defend a government agency, it’s worth asking what they’re really protecting—the truly needy, or a system that has benefited the global elite while wasting American tax dollars.
Key Takeaways
- Presidents Bush and Obama broke their usual silence to defend USAID, an agency plagued by waste and mismanagement
- DOGE investigations uncovered billions in questionable spending, including millions for transgender mice and DEI programs abroad
- Secretary Rubio will continue essential foreign aid through the State Department with greater accountability
- The unusual alliance between former presidents shows how the establishment protects bureaucracy regardless of party
