The Catholic News Agency reported on Jan. 31 that U.S. bishops have asked Catholics to reach out to their members of Congress and request the resumption of foreign aid programs following the Trump-Vance administration’s decision to temporarily pause funding for many programs, including those provided by Catholic Relief Services, pending review.

 

The pause has been proposed by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), run by billionaire, Elon Musk, who is an unelected bureaucrat. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an organization receiving public and private funding including USAID support. I’ve visited CRS aid and development projects in five countries.

 

In Kenya, I saw peacemaking projects that engaged rival tribes living in a slum in Nairobi and visited a hospital providing life-giving HIV/AIDS care on the outskirts of the city, supported by CRS.

 

In Ecuador, I learned about Fair-Trade as an alternative to dangerous flower-farming practices, supported by CRS. In Haiti, I visited the site of the reconstruction of a key hospital after the earthquake in 2010, and the building of recreation space to promote community building, supported by CRS.

 

In Palestine, I visited a Fair-Trade olive wood workshop, purchased embroidered textiles from a women’s group, and I shopped at the Holy Land Handicraft Cooperative in Beit Sahur, supported by CRS.

 

In Rwanda, I met women, some genocide widows, learning new techniques to grow more nutritious sweet potatoes more efficiently. They grew enough for their families and could sell excess to a local processing plant making flour, oils and other value-added goods, supported by CRS.

 

I am a witness to life-giving training, support, and profound respect for the human dignity of all, supported by CRS.
(In five countries on three continents, I didn’t run into a single “radical lunatic,” in case you were wondering.)

 

Lois Harr is a resident of The Bronx, a lifelong activist, and a retired director of campus ministry & social at Manhattan University.

 

Editor’s Note: Elon Musk has been appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump as a “special government employee,” to run DOGE. On Feb. 20, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles demanding answers on the legality of the appointment of Musk as head of DOGE.

 

“Although the White House has asserted that Musk is a ‘special government employee,’ we have seen no evidence that he is complying with the procedures and rules that ordinarily apply to such employees,” Whitehouse said. “In addition, the nature and scope of his authority suggests he is not properly a special government employee but is instead a principal officer who requires Senate confirmation under the Appointments Clause.”

 

According to Whitehouse, special government employees must comply with federal financial-disclosure requirements and criminal conflict-of-interest laws. He said officers who exercise significant authority and do not report to a Senate-confirmed superior require Senate confirmation under the Appointments Clause, meaning they may not be appointed by the President unilaterally. They too must comply with federal financial-disclosure requirements and criminal conflict-of-interest laws.

 

According to federal data analyzed by The Independent, Musk’s companies have been promised or awarded nearly $21 billion by the U.S. government since 2008, and since U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration last month, as of Feb 17, another $76.7 million was promised to Musk.

 

White House representatives have repeatedly defended Musk’s appointment, broadly arguing the role can be independently authorized via presidential powers.

 

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, governments have many tools at their disposal to extend their influence. They can use “hard power,” which includes military force and economic sanctions. But countries can also wield music, food, sports, and other cultural exports to bolster their international reputation. These tools, known as “soft power,” can improve a nation’s ability to attract prospective partners. To boost their soft power, governments often send money, goods, and services to other countries to advance their interests. Such foreign aid usually has conditions attached to it.

 

The former Administrator of USAID under the Biden administration, Samantha Power, who also worked for the Obama administration, explains how this works during a recent visit to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.