BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdjdmx12j9no
'The Trump administration reportedly intends to merge the US government's main overseas aid agency with the state department, as workers were asked to stay out of its Washington headquarters.
'Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters he was now the acting head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the agency that distributes billions of dollars in aid around the world.
'Democratic lawmakers have called it an "illegal, unconstitutional" move that would hurt poor people abroad, harm national security and reduce US influence on the global stage.'
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Devex, the global development newsletter, carries an article about how Secretary of State Rubio 'declared that the State Department would reorganize and absorb “certain bureaus, offices, and missions of USAID” — while noting that “the remainder of the Agency may be abolished consistent with applicable law”'.
What is completely lacking here is any recognition of evidence-informed decision-making.
Previous discussions on HIFA have emphasised that the impartial use of evidence in policymaking is critical. We have noted that it is often trumped (excuse the pun) by decision-making based on political imperatives, with disastrous consequences, as seems to be the case here. See for example our work supported by TDR and The Lancet: https://www.hifa.org/projects/evidence-informed-policy-and-practice
Not only is there an absence of rational use of evidence (for example, there is no review of the impact of USAID, nor of the likely consequences of dismantling services), there is also cherry-picking of the evidence. Yesterday, for example, the National News Desk reported on White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt's comments:
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Among the expenses highlighted by Leavitt was $1.5 million to “advance DEI in Serbia’s workplaces.” Another expense included “$70,000 for the production of a DEI musical in Ireland,” she said.
The agency also spent $47,000 on a "transgender opera" in Colombia and $32,000 for a "transgender comic book" in Peru, according to Leavitt.
"I don’t know about you, but as an American taxpayer, I don’t want my dollars going toward this crap and I know the American people don’t either and that’s exactly what Elon Musk has been tasked by President Trump to do,” she said.
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On Sunday Elon Musk called USAID a 'criminal organisation' - again without evidence to back his claim.
Ignoring the judicious use of evidence in policymaking will inevitably lead to avoidable death and suffering.
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org