USAID and the "all or nothing" mentality
There is no reason USAID cannot be reformed and used to advance an America First agenda.
Five and a half years before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans were watching the Ebola epidemic in Africa grow out of control. There was real concern about Ebola spreading in the United States, especially with international travel. Ebola can be fatal in more than 50% and in some cases approaching 90% of cases. Stopping Ebola in Africa, then, was an important part of protecting this nation. One of the organizations working to stop the pandemic was the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.
Does USAID do some bad things, and do they wastefully spend money on bad projects? Absolutely yes. There are certainly problems with USAID, and reform is needed. However, it is actually not a terrible idea to use soft power like economic aid to build good will, so that recipients are willing to advance our interests as a nation. The goal is not (or should not be) to just give money out willy-nilly, but to build influence. China is doing that very thing to compete against us.
The problem with arguing for the good things USAID does is that you are immediately falsely accused of supporting all of the bad things they do. "Oh you must be OK with THIS, then." Once again, this illustrates the poisonous "all or nothing" mentality in our politics. The world is not black and white. The same organization can do good things and bad things, and we can all be adults and analyze both good and bad. But that is not how our political class operates. Partisans on the Left refuse to admit any problems with USAID while partisans on the Right refuse to recognize any good that is done.
There is a lot in USAID that needs to go. I am not defending every penny they spend. For example, we should not be giving money to our nation's enemies. When "humanitarian" aid is stolen by Muslim terrorists, we are working against our own interests and accomplishing nothing good.
But we are in debt! Yes, that is true, but USAID is a tiny fraction of our total spending. The real action is with government poor relief and entitlement spending (such as Social Security and Medicare) and military spending. But the current administration has shown no real interest in restraining spending in either area. We are messing around with fractions while ignoring the really big numbers.
What I am saying is that it is a good thing to use foreign aid to build good will and in a way that advances our national interest. President Kennedy created the program in part as a counterbalance to Soviet attempts to build influence. Red China is doing that now. Does the program need to be reformed? Yes. Are there bad things that should not be funded? Yes. Are there good things that can be done to enhance our national interests, build good will and protect global health - which protects Americans? Yes. The whole focus should be "America First," and USAID can and should be repurposed to fit into that vision.