As Ash Wednesday and Lent approach, this fallen-away Presbyterian would like to suggest that a way to to earn God’s grace during Lent might be give up feeling powerless and do something, no matter how seemingly small, to oppose this evil.
Atul Gawande, former Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID, compiled this list of terminated programs:
1. All malaria supplies protecting 53 million people, mostly children, including bed nets, diagnostics, preventive drugs, and treatments – terminated.
2. All tuberculosis programs, including the Global TB Drug Facility – terminated.
3. All supplies of US-manufactured emergency food packets for starving children on the brink of death – terminated.
4. USAID’s contract supporting deadly outbreak prevention, detection, and response, including Ebola and Bird Flu, in 50 countries – terminated.
5. All deployable U.S. teams for earthquake assistance – terminated.
6. All U.S.-backed development programming in Afghanistan, including maternal and child health services and girls education – terminated. (Estimated to cause >1,200 maternal deaths by 2028.).
7. Over 1,000 food kitchens in Sudan, a country with almost 25 million people experiencing acute food insecurity – terminated.
8. USAID’s contract for supplying essential medicines for maternal and child health in countries worldwide – terminated.
9. Services from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation – just one organization – reaching 350,000 people on HIV treatment, including nearly 10,000 children and more than 10,000 HIV-positive pregnant women – terminated.
10. Every USAID program in the former Soviet countries in Central Asia, including health programs to combat rampant tuberculosis, along with agricultural programs – terminated.
11. Screening program with the Mexican government to identify illicit drugs like fentanyl being smuggled at the US border.
12. A project in the Democratic Republic of Congo that operates the only source of water for camps with 250,000 displaced people in camps located in the center of current conflict.
Here’s a non-paywalled NYT article listing many other USAID cuts:
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/health/usaid-contract-terminations.html?unlocked_article_code=1.004.L_24.fYr0gqiDIQPW&smid=url-share
Gene Dieken
Below: Musk says his ‘mind is a storm’ and waves chain saw on stage in bizarre CPAC appearance, Feb. 20, ’25.
