By: Moja Dolenjska
If people thought before the American elections that Donald Trump and Elon Musk were merely joking when they spoke about cutting public spending, they were mistaken. For the first time in modern history, the massive bureaucratic beast that has entrenched itself in Washington is being dissected. Even the previously untouchable and notorious agency USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) has now come under the knife.
What is USAID and what does it do? Among other things, it has financed the overthrow of non-leftist governments, including in Slovenia, where NGOs received 40.3 million euros. We publish the list by country.
USAID is the main American agency for international aid, through which billions of taxpayer dollars have been channelled abroad. Recently, innovator Elon Musk tweeted that Donald Trump agrees the agency should be “shut down”.
This is the latest in a series of deep cuts to the bureaucratic machinery of the U.S. government, which no president has dared to touch until now. Since this is Trump’s final term, he has nothing to lose and likely sees this as the right moment for tectonic changes, according to Nova24TV.
Who is on USAID’s radicalised list?
Already in November, government auditors discovered that $9 million in USAID donations went to the Islamist terrorist organisation Al-Nusra, which identifies itself under the umbrella of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The puzzle is slowly coming together.
On X, it was revealed that among the recipients is also Oštro, a media outlet owned by Anuška Zavrl Delić, known as Facebook’s censorship enforcer in Slovenia. In 2023, Oštro received €100,000 from USAID. Questions have already emerged on X about how the money was spent, as Zavrl Delić advocates for transparency in business operations.
USAID payment to Oštro in 2023:
Experts see this differently. Well-known journalist and editor Peter Jančič commented on Oštro’s activities: “For protecting their leftist rulers from journalistic criticism.”
Another user on X wrote: “For suppressing freedom of speech.”
We add: If nothing else, Tamara Vonta (Gibanje Svoboda) will ensure transparency by grilling Zavrl Delić for hours before an investigative commission – even if it means obtaining financial records and transactions illegally. Or are we wrong? Most likely.
USAID has funded the downfall of non-leftist governments in Slovenia, handing $40.3 million to NGOs. But that is just the tip of the iceberg.
A full list of recipients – over a billion U.S. dollars distributed – is coming soon.
