USAID spent $20 million on a Sesame Street show in Iraq

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Senator Joni Ernst spoke out against USAID as the organization continues to be the target of criticism after Elon Musk’s DOGE exposed what the millions of taxpayer dollars were being spent on.

Sen. Ernst said:

“From funneling tax dollars to risky research in Wuhan to sending Ukrainians to Paris Fashion Week, USAID is one of the worst offenders of waste in Washington … all around the world. This is why President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE are ending the nonsense.” 

More than $9 million of USAID’s “humanitarian aid” intended to feed civilians in Syria ended up in the hands of violent terrorists, including an affiliate of Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Other payments she listed:
- $2 million for Moroccan pottery classes
- $2 million promoting tourism to Lebanon
- $20 million for a Sesame Street show in Iraq
- And $1 million for risky research in a Wuhan lab

Ernst said: “USAID has failed to put the American people first and routinely tried to cloak its actions in secrecy. Those days are over.”