The President's Daily Brief
February 10th, 2025: The Very Worst Of USAID Spending & Hamas Releases Emaciated Hostages
10 Feb 2025
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: The Trump administration is moving to overhaul USAID—an agency that doles out billions in foreign aid with little oversight. Is it finally time to rein it in? The world reacts as Hamas releases three emaciated hostages over the weekend as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal. As both sides exchange hostages and prisoners, Israel follows through on another key part of the agreement—pulling troops from a critical corridor in Gaza. And in the Back of the Brief: After a brief lull, North Korean troops may have returned to the front lines, while Russia scrambles to counter a renewed Ukrainian offensive in Kursk. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
It's Monday, 10 February. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Coming to you today from somewhere in Europe. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off today with the Trump administration's push to overhaul USAID. That's an agency that hands out billions in foreign aid, frankly, with little oversight.
So you ask yourself, is there a chance that a thorough, efficient audit of USAID spending just might perhaps identify government waste and abuse? There's a possibility. Later in the show, the world reacted with shock as Hamas released three emaciated hostages over the weekend as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal.
Plus, as both sides exchange hostages and prisoners, Israel follows through on another key part of the agreement and pulling out troops from a critical corridor in Gaza. and in the back of the brief. After a short respite, it appears that North Korean troops may have returned to the front lines as Russian military forces attempt to blunt the renewed Ukrainian offensive in Kursk.
Well, that makes sense. I mean, if the Ukrainian military engages in an offensive, Putin's going to need some cannon fodder. And I think he's already discovered that the North Korean troops make for fine fodder. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. Today we're beginning with a closer look at USAID, the U.S.
Agency for International Development, and the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to reform or, in some cases, completely overhaul the agency. If you want to understand what the U.S. government prioritizes, the best way to do it is to follow the money. And if you follow the money at USAID, you might find yourself asking some uncomfortable questions.
USAID, in a sense, is the face of American foreign policy. While the State Department handles diplomacy, USAID is on the ground, engaging directly with civilian populations around the world. The agency, frankly, is massive. In fiscal year 2023 alone, they handed out nearly $43.8 billion in funding worldwide, more than two-thirds of the entire State Department's $60 billion budget. And yet...
Despite being largely bankrolled by the State Department, USAID operates as an independent agency, separate from the control of the State Department. It was originally established by the JFK administration in 1961, specifically as an independent autonomous organization. That independence is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it gives the agency the flexibility to respond quickly to crises.
But on the other, it makes oversight a bit of a nightmare. With missions in over 100 countries, many of them unstable, keeping track of where the money actually goes is like herding cats. Add in the fact that USAID funding flows not just through the State Department, but also through the defense and treasury departments, and you have a recipe for inefficiency, waste, and fraud.
Not to mention the lack of consistent audit functions to ensure money is being spent effectively and in line with U.S. interests. And here's the reality. USAID doesn't even carry out most of its work directly. Instead, it offloads the heavy lifting to third-party organizations, contractors, NGOs, and international groups.
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