The Trump administration’s decision to incinerate 500 tons of emergency food stems from the dismantling of USAID and broader cuts to foreign aid programs. The food, primarily high-energy biscuits meant for malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was purchased for ~$800,000 near the end of the Biden administration but never distributed due to logistical failures following USAID’s closure. The biscuits, stored in Dubai, are set to expire, and incineration was ordered at an additional cost of $130,000, reportedly due to the administration’s halt on foreign aid distribution, exacerbated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts that eliminated staff and infrastructure needed to move the food. Some sources suggest the decision reflects a policy shift prioritizing domestic concerns or avoiding aid to countries like Afghanistan and Yemen, where the State Department cited risks of aiding terrorists, though no such justification was given for Pakistan. Critics argue the food could have been redirected to other famine-stricken areas like Sudan or even U.S. food banks, but bureaucratic inaction and lack of approval from new USAID leadership led to the waste. The scale of this destruction—enough to feed 1.5 million children for a week—is described as unprecedented by aid workers.
@Grok
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