NYT’s Kristof Rips DOGE for Shutting Down USAID: ‘Spent $6 Billion Killing a Lot of Kids’

MILLER So just help ░░░░░░░░ like paint a picture ░░░░░░░░ you re going like ░░░░░░░░ wouldn t even know ░░░░░░░░ to start right You ░░░░░░░░ to Sierra Leone and ░░░░░░░░ like the embassy you ░░░░░░░░ working with NGOs Like ░░░░░░░░ are you looking at ░░░░░░░░ You know normally I ░░░░░░░░ drop in on an ░░░░░░░░ to talk to officials ░░░░░░░░ but these days I ░░░░░░░░ of think I would ░░░░░░░░ any ambassador in trouble ░░░░░░░░ them fired if I ░░░░░░░░ up in the embassy ░░░░░░░░ I you know so ░░░░░░░░ what I was doing ░░░░░░░░ dropping in on villages ░░░░░░░░ so I dropped in ░░░░░░░░ one village and I ░░░░░░░░ if there had been ░░░░░░░░ children who had died ░░░░░░░░ Did you have a ░░░░░░░░ or like KRISTOF Yeah ░░░░░░░░ I had a translator ░░░░░░░░ we found a local ░░░░░░░░ worker who had been ░░░░░░░░ of laid off in ░░░░░░░░ this chaos but he ░░░░░░░░ me around and I ░░░░░░░░ if anybody had died ░░░░░░░░ that village recently and ░░░░░░░░ said Oh you know ░░░░░░░░ little boy died So ░░░░░░░░ went and talked to ░░░░░░░░ mom and it turned ░░░░░░░░ that he had had ░░░░░░░░ Normally the local normally ░░░░░░░░ local health worker would ░░░░░░░░ had the malaria treatment ░░░░░░░░ and also the hospital ░░░░░░░░ have as backup but ░░░░░░░░ of the collapse of ░░░░░░░░ neither of them had ░░░░░░░░ really cheap malaria medicine ░░░░░░░░ the the baby died ░░░░░░░░ now as it turned ░░░░░░░░ that mom had she ░░░░░░░░ her second child was ░░░░░░░░ sick with malaria and ░░░░░░░░ the hospital and the ░░░░░░░░ worker still didn t ░░░░░░░░ antimalarials And you just ░░░░░░░░ know you just see ░░░░░░░░ mom with a sick ░░░░░░░░ and all these arguments ░░░░░░░░ I hear about Oh ░░░░░░░░ isn t our responsibility ░░░░░░░░ we should look after ░░░░░░░░ own kids this is ░░░░░░░░ mom with a sick ░░░░░░░░ She s already lost ░░░░░░░░ child because of the ░░░░░░░░ way in which USAID ░░░░░░░░ cratered and she s ░░░░░░░░ know she s gonna ░░░░░░░░ know she s at ░░░░░░░░ of losing another because ░░░░░░░░ politics in Washington because ░░░░░░░░ decisions made in Washington ░░░░░░░░ people who ve you ░░░░░░░░ never been to places ░░░░░░░░ this village MILLER Do ░░░░░░░░ there like understand what ░░░░░░░░ happening like you know ░░░░░░░░ it s related to ░░░░░░░░ or like how KRISTOF ░░░░░░░░ I regularly ask people ░░░░░░░░ know Do you know ░░░░░░░░ the president of the ░░░░░░░░ States is And you ░░░░░░░░ in the villages most ░░░░░░░░ did not know Some ░░░░░░░░ them had heard of ░░░░░░░░ if you mentioned it ░░░░░░░░ were sometimes aware of ░░░░░░░░ and sometimes aware that ░░░░░░░░ had you know that ░░░░░░░░ had been big problems ░░░░░░░░ it They were aware ░░░░░░░░ medicine was less available ░░░░░░░░ ve visited one village ░░░░░░░░ just kind of I ░░░░░░░░ went with some health ░░░░░░░░ off into the mountains ░░░░░░░░ I heard of a ░░░░░░░░ who had died in ░░░░░░░░ and so we went ░░░░░░░░ the village we found ░░░░░░░░ dad and her sister ░░░░░░░░ she had hemorrhaged in ░░░░░░░░ and there had been ░░░░░░░░ hospital donated by USAID ░░░░░░░░ years ago for that ░░░░░░░░ of eventuality and so ░░░░░░░░ called the ambulance and ░░░░░░░░ ambulance crew said Well ░░░░░░░░ funding has been cut ░░░░░░░░ fuel for our ambulance ░░░░░░░░ so if you bring ░░░░░░░░ fuel we can you ░░░░░░░░ we can go rescue ░░░░░░░░ woman Yama Freeman but ░░░░░░░░ know that s that ░░░░░░░░ not going to happen ░░░░░░░░ so a bunch of ░░░░░░░░ s badly hemorrhaging and ░░░░░░░░ bunch of the strongest ░░░░░░░░ men in the village ░░░░░░░░ put her in a ░░░░░░░░ and put her on ░░░░░░░░ shoulders and they ran ░░░░░░░░ this this red mud ░░░░░░░░ 10 miles toward the ░░░░░░░░ shouting encouragement to her ░░░░░░░░ they go you know ░░░░░░░░ on going Yama and ░░░░░░░░ dies en route for ░░░░░░░░ of fuel for an ░░░░░░░░ that we had already ░░░░░░░░ MILLER It s just ░░░░░░░░ a f king comedy ░░░░░░░░ errors and that s ░░░░░░░░ sad What so are ░░░░░░░░ like there s some ░░░░░░░░ guess conversation that things ░░░░░░░░ that like they have ░░░░░░░░ cancelled some of this ░░░░░░░░ So you were there ░░░░░░░░ recently Like you know ░░░░░░░░ me sort through that ░░░░░░░░ what is still you ░░░░░░░░ what is still part ░░░░░░░░ the DOGE cuts you ░░░░░░░░ what have they put ░░░░░░░░ into place KRISTOF So ░░░░░░░░ is true that some ░░░░░░░░ have been UN cancelled ░░░░░░░░ problem is it s ░░░░░░░░ hard to figure out ░░░░░░░░ is being UN cancelled ░░░░░░░░ know it was this ░░░░░░░░ complicated system where you ░░░░░░░░ different groups doing different ░░░░░░░░ So one group would ░░░░░░░░ the ARVs another would ░░░░░░░░ the health workers who ░░░░░░░░ them Another would look ░░░░░░░░ the you know the ░░░░░░░░ in a warehouse you ░░░░░░░░ somebody else would coordinate ░░░░░░░░ the different NGOs somebody ░░░░░░░░ would do viral load ░░░░░░░░ And this you know ░░░░░░░░ all kind of collapses ░░░░░░░░ some elements have been ░░░░░░░░ but they often don ░░░░░░░░ work together with the ░░░░░░░░ elements And so some ░░░░░░░░ programs are coming back ░░░░░░░░ example but the malaria ░░░░░░░░ in one county in ░░░░░░░░ it was being stored ░░░░░░░░ this medical warehouse that ░░░░░░░░ county had and USAID ░░░░░░░░ they had contracted to ░░░░░░░░ the warehouse and they ░░░░░░░░ the work and the ░░░░░░░░ was torn off and ░░░░░░░░ that s when the ░░░░░░░░ work order went out ░░░░░░░░ now the medical warehouse ░░░░░░░░ no roof so okay ░░░░░░░░ theory they re providing ░░░░░░░░ medicine again but all ░░░░░░░░ a sudden there s ░░░░░░░░ roof on the medical ░░░░░░░░ You know it s ░░░░░░░░ things like this that ░░░░░░░░ hear over and over ░░░░░░░░ over and it s ░░░░░░░░ maddening I mean especially ░░░░░░░░ something that said it ░░░░░░░░ about government efficiency to ░░░░░░░░ the toll of the ░░░░░░░░ The State Department has ░░░░░░░░ estimate that the cost ░░░░░░░░ shutting down USAID was ░░░░░░░░ billion you know so ░░░░░░░░ of saving money they ░░░░░░░░ spent 6 billion killing ░░░░░░░░ lot of kids.”