The watchdog for the U.S. Agency for International Development has yet to release two critical reports on the consequences of President Donald Trump’s funding freeze on crucial services in Africa and the Middle East, amid fears of retaliation from the White House, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Washington Post.
One of the unreleased reports says the cutbacks threaten the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, jeopardizing more than $300 million in humanitarian aid for the devastated Palestinian enclave, according to three people familiar with the situation, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive matters.
And an unpublished global audit found security dangers, risks of widespread looting and disease, and tens of millions of dollars in new costs brought about by the withdrawal of foreign aid and mass relocation of USAID staff, according to documents and interviews. Conditions are particularly dire across southern Africa, South Sudan and Senegal, where initial findings by auditors in the field predict heightened hunger and desperation caused by the ongoing dismantling of USAID, documents show.
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The reports were both planned for release about two weeks ago, but remain in draft form in the email inboxes of acting deputy inspector general Marc Meyer — the de facto inspector general — and his top staff out of fear that the critical findings will prompt the White House to come after the agency in retaliation, according to an official familiar with their thinking.
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The USAID watchdog office, with 275 investigators and auditors, has operated without a permanent leader since Inspector General Paul K. Martin was fired one day after issuing a critical report on the chaos created by the USAID retreat. Trump has also fired 17 other inspectors general across the government.
“The fate of in-house, independent oversight is at a tipping point,” Martin said.
One of the unreleased reports says the cutbacks threaten the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, jeopardizing more than $300 million in humanitarian aid for the devastated Palestinian enclave, according to three people familiar with the situation, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive matters.
And an unpublished global audit found security dangers, risks of widespread looting and disease, and tens of millions of dollars in new costs brought about by the withdrawal of foreign aid and mass relocation of USAID staff, according to documents and interviews. Conditions are particularly dire across southern Africa, South Sudan and Senegal, where initial findings by auditors in the field predict heightened hunger and desperation caused by the ongoing dismantling of USAID, documents show.
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The reports were both planned for release about two weeks ago, but remain in draft form in the email inboxes of acting deputy inspector general Marc Meyer — the de facto inspector general — and his top staff out of fear that the critical findings will prompt the White House to come after the agency in retaliation, according to an official familiar with their thinking.
🏛️
Follow Politics
The USAID watchdog office, with 275 investigators and auditors, has operated without a permanent leader since Inspector General Paul K. Martin was fired one day after issuing a critical report on the chaos created by the USAID retreat. Trump has also fired 17 other inspectors general across the government.
“The fate of in-house, independent oversight is at a tipping point,” Martin said.
