July 17, 2025
Almost 500 tons of food intended to combat child malnutrition will be incinerated by order of the US government after it was stored and spoiled following the closure of USAID, the US Agency for International Development.
The food consisted of energy biscuits for children in critical condition in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it was never delivered. The reason: the food expired in July in a warehouse in Dubai. Now, the US government itself will pay to destroy it.
USAID, between the shadows of interference and humanitarian negligence
Although USAID has historically been singled out for its role in covert operations and destabilization strategies, the truth is that its dismantling was not accompanied by a “responsible transition” in humanitarian matters, like hunger.
The Donald Trump administration ordered its permanent closure on July 1, and according to Under Secretary of State for Management Michael Rigas, the loss of food was a direct “victim” of that decision. “I am heartbroken,” Rigas told Congress.
Marco Rubio, Musk, and the cuts that also burn food
The dismantling of USAID is part of a campaign of drastic cuts promoted by the head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, who eliminated more than 80% of foreign aid. According to him, this aid did not serve the “fundamental interests” of the country,
The strategy, backed at the time by tycoon Elon Musk, included hundreds of layoffs at the State Department and the abandonment of international programs that still contained vital emergency components.
The US will pay more to destroy than to feed
The Atlantic revealed that the cookies were purchased at the end of Joe Biden’s term for $800,000. But now, the government will allocate another $30,000 to incinerate the aid that was never distributed.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine denounced that the issue was raised in March, but nothing was done. “They preferred to keep the warehouse closed, let the food go bad, and then burn it,” he lamented.
This is not austerity, it is indifference to suffering
Rigas himself, who said he wants to “get to the truth” about the case, offered no solutions or reparations. All that was evident was a chain of decisions in which US foreign policy changes in form but not in substance: arrogance remains intact, although this time it does not even disguise the failure to provide aid.
Source: Cuba en Resumen