The Hidden Cost of Draining the Swamp

The dismantling of USAID, executed without congressional approval, is a dangerous shift in American governance. To be clear, USAID formally became an agency by an Act of Congress in 1998. Its unilateral dismantlement is part of a calculated strategy to undermine our institutions, undermine the rule of law, and consolidate power in the executive branch. Under the guise of "efficiency" and "draining the swamp," this systematic dismantling weakens public trust and replaces democratic oversight with authoritarian control.

As Black Americans, we serve as the canary in the coal mine—these policies typically target our communities first. As a Haitian-American, I've witnessed firsthand the consequences when government institutions are systematically destroyed. I have seen this movie before and believe I have the responsibility to warn my fellow Americans.

Unfortunately, what I see is many in the Haitian community celebrate USAID's closure as a victory against American imperialism. The irony is not lost on me. While we criticize USAID's role in weakening Haiti's administrative capacity, as Americans, we are applauding the same process happening here without considering the impact. Indeed, we're unknowingly supporting conservative strategist Grover Norquist's vision of shrinking government until it can be "dragged into the bathroom and drowned in the bathtub."

Everyone dislikes government—until we need essential services. "Draining the swamp" sounds appealing until we realize it means dismantling the infrastructure needed to respond to pandemics, climate disasters, and economic shocks—crises that disproportionately affect our communities.

The Misinformation Machine

I admit that it is surprising to me that people—Americans at that—are shocked that U.S. agencies, including USAID, act in America's interests.

International relations operate on self-interest. Nations provide aid either to prevent foreign problems from becoming domestic issues or to advance diplomatic goals. USAID's role in this system isn't exceptional. The concerning part isn't the agency's mission but how easily misinformation about these basic principles spreads through our communities and the lack of consideration for what it means for the people who are impacted.

Consider the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an opaque office staffed by private individuals tasked with 'rightsizing' public institutions. Despite conducting no research and publishing no findings, DOGE's leader, Elon Musk, wields significant influence. Musk, who promotes replacement theory, freely tweets inflammatory claims, including that "Black students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have lower IQs." His rhetoric aligns with President Trump's attacks on Black and Brown immigrants while advocating for immigrants from "nice countries, like Denmark and Switzerland." He has gone further and extended the "Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination." So, we do immigrants after all, just as long as they are white.

The disturbing part isn't just their rhetoric—it's how readily many Haitian-Americans accept these baseless claims and support the President's racist policies. Take, for example, the widely circulated story about USAID giving Chelsea Clinton $84 million, which she used, in part, to pay for her wedding and to buy a $10 million house. Though Forbes thoroughly debunked this claim, the truth struggles to compete with sensational lies, which my fellow Haitians happily promote on social media.

Maga-Republicans controlled all three branches of government under Trump, if these allegations had any merit, I can say with absolute confidence that if Chelsea Clinton did indeed receive $84M from USAID she would be in handcuffs. What we ignore is that in the meantime, private IT staffers on Elon Musk's payroll—not a vetted public official, but private employees—are trying to get access to every American's sensitive health and financial data.

Who Pays the Price USAID’s Demise?

We must confront what happens to those who benefited from USAID support. In Haiti today, over 5.4 million people struggle to feed themselves daily. Of these, two million face emergency levels of hunger, with extreme food shortages, acute malnutrition, and high disease levels.

In 2024, USAID's $150 million humanitarian aid to Haiti included $63.8 million for emergency food assistance through the World Food Program, while CORE received $5.4 million to deliver essential supplies to 159,000 Haitians. USAID also disbursed $83 million to health programs, including critical grants to Saint Boniface Hospital, GHESKIO, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

For all its flaws, USAID was providing essential relief to millions of people. The question for us is what happens to those families now?

The Price of Draining the Swamp

This moment demands we remain clear-eyed on what is happening and the end goal. The choice isn't between reform and status quo—it's between thoughtful government reform and destruction. Are we prepared to watch the dismantling of the CDC, FDA, and agencies that ensure clean air, safe medicine, and emergency response?

To those Black people, especially Haitian-Americans, who have bought into the "drain the swamp" agenda, I ask: How is the price of eggs affecting your budget? Do you feel confident about chicken safety? Know that the real cost of dismantling our institutions will be higher than we imagined.

The people in Haiti and Africa may be the first to feel USAID's demise, but let's not fool ourselves—the impact will be felt worldwide. When the next virus outbreak moves swiftly around the globe, we'll be left questioning the World Health Organization's capacity to respond. The painful truth is that we're witnessing the destruction of the very systems built to protect us when disaster strikes.

This isn't about defending USAID and its problems. It's about seeing the bigger picture—the planned and systematic destruction of public institutions, which is easy. Let's be clear, once our institutions are gone or small enough to drown in a bathtub, the ones who will suffer most aren't the thousands of civil servants who were summarily dismissed like garbage but the millions of us who had relied on the services they provided.