308 Comments
User's avatar
Gary Steven Friedman's avatar

Thank you Secretary of State Rubio for this clear message. It is motivating and encouraging to see termination of US funding for programs no longer consonant with US policy and interests. We are grateful to you and your team and to the President for your abilities and commitment to action.

Aaron G's avatar

Gary, the programs are in American interests.

Rubio has effectively said: let the world make the standards without the U.S. When the U.S. was part of standards-setting, Americans protected their own interests. Now Rubio has reduced the American role to something no more relevant than a comment to a federal agency via Substack.

It’s akin to the question: why does the world use the metric standard while the U.S. uses imperial?

What you call “consonant” seems to mean consistent, and this is the same theme behind calling things “wasteful”: if the Trump administration cannot veto it or control it, then it is not treated as American policy. This is the same policy pattern we are seeing in VZ.

Have a nice day.

Steve Heard's avatar

How are fraudulent “programs” no matter their stated purpose in the best interest of the US of A? This administration is actually facing head on our bankrupting fiscal policies. Indeed Trump was elected to implement his America First Policy which foreign investment is naturally low hanging fraudulent fruit. Sorry you can’t wrap your head around this indicating you indeed are part of the problem. Thereby you are deemed inconsonant with sanity.

April's avatar

All fraud should be ended . Arrest needs to be made for reasons of Homeland security. Identify who is who. Give recognition t ion to the true person who accomplished incredible feats and psy them what's rightfully there's. Arrest all who threatened the life of April D Dawson and her son Dakota d Dawson. Furthermore approve motive care rides for Dakota and fix his renal tube like was promised.

Aaron G's avatar

Blocked. Ad hominem attacks are instant block.

Steve Heard's avatar

The thank you never seen…

Aaron G's avatar

I doubt you can justify that.

Steve Heard's avatar

YOU MADE FUN OF THE GUY’s USE OR MISUSE OR EDIT MISTAKE OF “consonant” did you not? I used the “mistaken word” to goad you as payback for your ad hominem attack so wry and smugly accomplished. And it went right over your head. How about engaging my response to your original comment? That’s honest debate without the drool.

Aaron G's avatar

First why do you think personal attacks are merited?

Wayne in Woodstock's avatar

Consonant IS a word, and is the right one.

antoinette uiterdijk's avatar

The U.S. is one of the few countries sticking to customary units (feet, pounds), in part because early attempts in the 1790s to go metric were thwarted when the ship carrying a standard meter rod and a kilogram weight, was seized by pirates.

I put it to you, that if the US used the metric system, US children would do better in school. The metric system is more logical and therefore easier to understand and to work with.

Bryan A Zimmer's avatar

I could never figure out how many centigrams make up a kilometer. I like the concept of the metric system, and it definitely makes more sense than figuring out how many pints are in a furlong.

Allow me to eschew any obfuscation. I am joking, but will some Metric Maven please come up with a neat, clean way to do arithmetic with time and dates? And those pesky leap seconds always screw me up.

Someone needs to decide whether time is measured by the stars, or by atomic measurements. My 24-hour watch is probably right once a day, depending on which scientists you believe. I’ll have to ask Neill DeGrasse Tyson, a true mastermind if I ever saw one.

Cris E's avatar

Because we’re AMERICA and we don’t follow or listen TO ANYONE! Especially the freaking globalists! They’re wrecking everything and Trump is fixing it!

antoinette uiterdijk's avatar

There is an expression about cutting of the nose to spite the face. Luckily I am able to recognize sarcasm. Otherwise I would have advised you to have your head examined. Every cubic inch of it.

Cris E's avatar

Sarcasm? Sounds to me you’re more for what everyone else does and as for me NO THANKS! So you get your head examined!

antoinette uiterdijk's avatar

You were serious? "Of the 195 sovereign countries recognized, 192 of them have adopted the metric system. Only three countries do not officially use the metric system now: the United States, Liberia, Myanmar. The latter two are currently transitioning toward metrication. Leaving the US as the primary outlier in everyday use." You see continuing to work with an antiquated, cumbersome system as an accomplishment?

Aaron G's avatar

Thanks for the response.

CudjoeChick's avatar

So, change nothing? Let ngo's continue to rape taxpayers? At least, they are trying to change something.

User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jan 10
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Mark's avatar

Right, says the socialist, unemployed, jealous miscreants. Please, get some training and do something useful for humanity.

Michelle Salvail de Tremont's avatar

Your opinions don't represent the majority of educated people's opinions. That is for sure. You insult citizens for using their rights to free speech. I didn't vote for your master. I hope this fascist regime c9mes to an end soon

Mark's avatar

Free speech is not a right to spread lies snd undermine law enforcement

User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jan 10
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Mark's avatar

We are a socialist nation already. The Postal service is our worst investment. Hard to do worse than that, we’ll see.

CC's avatar

If Denmark can end routine nationwide letter delivery, we can as well. Time to privatize it.

antoinette uiterdijk's avatar

EBay, ETSY, etc. are in part as successful as they are, because USPS manages to deliver packages all over the US in a timely manner for rather reasonable prices. Same for LiveAuctioneers and similar on-line auction sites.

Thomas N's avatar

That’s right! Privatize everything! Feed the corporate megalith! Unleash and unfetter Predictive AI, dysfunctional as it! Reduce American workers to the status of serfs serving those corporate masters for subsistence wages. Totally privatize health care with eligibility and treatment decisions being made by insurance companies. Ah yes, then maybe all those pesky citizens turned subjects will have the decency to die off and reduce the surplus population!

Carole's avatar

oooo. you so smaht. you emote and talk and stuff

Mark's avatar

The US post office is hemorrhaging Billions of dollars. I don’t need the postal service at all. Why subsidize a failing, legacy bureaucracy that serves no useful purpose? People deserve only what they earn. End letter delivery.

User's avatar
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Jan 10
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Mark's avatar

Supporting free stuff for everyone is retarded. Americans developed Venezuela’s oil and built refineries. Socialists stole it and destroyed Venezuela. We will get our money back.

Codex redux's avatar

Were you involved in the Covid atrocities? Did you help bribe or coerce people into taking the experimental modifiedRNA genetic therapy injection?

If yes, you do not look forward to the Nuremburg trials. The U.S. was, and barring congressional action, still is a signatory to the Nuremburg treaty on medical experimentation without informed consent. And yes, you may not realize it, but your abused neighbors, and coworkers, still seething over the maiming and attempted murder of their friends, family, and relatives, kept receipts. They'll all be happy to testify.

International courts are notoriously capricious, and large parts of the world would enjoy watching self-righteous American covid Karens of both sexes swing. I wouldn't be too excited about getting the gallows set up.

Jay K.'s avatar

Batshit crazy person.

Candis's avatar

Aww, did somebody lose access to the gravy train? Poor thing.

Patriot 66's avatar

Get trump is all they've got. What a joke this answer is, get an education on the truth, not the indoctrination of lies you carry from MSM.

DeeW's avatar

😂😂😅😅😆😂😂😅😅😒

Lois's avatar

This could not be more necessary or a better demonstration of courageous leadership.

Loretta Breuning, PhD's avatar

I worked for one of these organizations and saw how corrupt and anti-American they are. It’s like teenagers wanting to hate their parents while living off their hard work.

Mark's avatar

We need more Rubios and fewer Walz’s!

antoinette uiterdijk's avatar

You worked for one such an organization (where? when?) and saw how corrupt and anti-American they ALL are. Of course.

Loretta Breuning, PhD's avatar

It was a United Nations affiliate.

I had no work to do because project funds disappeared, so I had a lot of free time to meet people from other agencies in the country I worked in. Their situation was basically the same: funds disappeared at a higher level and people said nothing for their own protection.

It was anti-American in the sense that all academics are anti-American. You may see it as well-deserved hostility and well-informed resentment. So you may not want to call it what it is. But why should Americans pay for people from other countries to sit around chatting about their resentment?

antoinette uiterdijk's avatar

I assume working in underdeveloped countries is difficult because corruption is rampant - that to begin with. The top-layer is all powerful and ordinary people are afraid to speak up. Some projects probably even worsen the situation of the people in need of help.

So the funds disappeared, things did not go as planned, and you had a lot of time to complain about this with others in similar situations. I would be upset too, very upset. But did you maybe look into projects that were (more) successful and why these worked better?

"All US academics are anti-American". IMO they are critical about the US. And the US, as a country, can take criticism, will benefit from it, will grow.

There is great enthusiasm for the USA all around the world. Look at the Visa Waiver Lottery program. About 20 Million people vie for one of the 50,000 visas available, and that is only those who are allowed to participate in this event.

Over One Million people arrive every year in the US legally to start a life here. They for sure do not hate the US. Neither do the many that come here illegally and desperately want to stay. Millions of others are waiting for years to be allowed to immigrate legally.

Many millions come and visit as tourists - spending monies they saved all year to make it possible. Because they hate the US - not because they admire it?

This country has many friends and allies all over the world. Please Mr. Rubio, cherish them and where possible, make the numbers grow.

Loretta Breuning, PhD's avatar

I only said academics were haters, and that includes NGO staff

antoinette uiterdijk's avatar

I repeated that, but did not use the word "haters". IMO what you call anti-American sentiment, is mostly being critical, maybe overly so.

Being on the ground, meeting reality, as you were, probably clashes quickly with the views of those back home, sitting in offices?

The 2nd half of my post was about remarks made - mainly by others - that the US should not pay for assistance to people who think negative about us. I disagree.

wellness.com's avatar

" ... all academics are anti-American"

Hilarious

Nathan Selvaggio's avatar

I don’t think the key is hating your parents

The key is hating elon musk, sandusky biden and the dea

They are the ones responsible

It won’t be the parents who take the fall

it’ll be elon, sandusky and the dea

we got rappers on deck for this

as you see from so many songs

this is the plan

Black lives matter police abuse of power

Nathan Selvaggio's avatar

who are you talking about larry paige kid who they said showed up to kps house before the crack sales started to pop off.

could imagine why

hey it isn’t legally required of us to be cordial

but we have agreed to be cordial

so I guess it’s time for him to create his own legacy in a different country in spite of his father

pedpeds's avatar

Hey LB, PhD

I wonder why people living in the Southern Hemisphere tend to be ‘anti-American ‘

‘I want to believe that your reasoning only refers to the ‘American’ government/s and NOT the USA people.

Can you expand, please?

Loretta Breuning, PhD's avatar

I'm not referring to the host country. I'm referring to the US staffers of these NGOs, who are educated by professors with anti-American views.

pedpeds's avatar

Hey, (Dr) Loretta, I'm sure you mean anti-USA government. In my opinion, the majority of people living in the USA seem to be decent members of this nation (the world, too). However, it's a very different ball game when talking in reference to the government of the nation...

By the way, I consider myself an American, although I wasn´t born in your country, but in the

American Continent (Luckily, I live miles away from M Rubio's army, i.e., ICE people,)

Mark's avatar

The majority of rural Americans are decent. I feel uncomfortable around tatted, pierced, saggy panted misfits. Unfortunately the disease is spreading. It’s just sad to witness.

R. Denice Brown-Sweeney's avatar

This is that for which I voted!!!! Hurray! Thank you!

Rudolph Van Wyk's avatar

Go Marco! Go Trump Administration!

pedpeds's avatar

YES!! They have to GO!

Marleen K Garitty's avatar

Thanks and keep up the good work ya'll do. we really appreciate it.

Linda Curran's avatar

We are truly blessed to have you Sir. Blessings to you and to your family who also make sacrifices on the country's behalf.

WGW's avatar

This is exactly the kind of leadership we Americans should expect from our leaders. Regardless of party. In fact we have a Constitutional right to demand it.

VictorDianne Watson's avatar

Thank you, Secretary Rubio, for your explanation of this move. Supporting organizations that do not support our mission undermines the US and wastes taxpayer money. A bold and necessary move. Congratulations! We appreciate the work you do on behalf of the American people!

Edward eichman's avatar

Brilliant! One of the most thoughtful and thorough announcements I have ever read.

Best SOS in my long life.

Tom Caverly's avatar

Thank you, you are helping to preserve our republic!

Dan Kowalski's avatar

You are a disgrace. Resign. Repent.

Kevin Brink's avatar

you are a total fool. This didn't go far enough. We should totally quit the UN, kick it out of the USA, quit NATO and remove all troops and equipment from Europe. To start. FU.

Gail's avatar

Get the US out of the UN!

Get the UN out of the US!

Canikttifun's avatar

Why? You don’t seem like much of a student of history

pedpeds's avatar

Get M Rubio and D Trump to Guantanamo!

Gail's avatar

Never! They’re my Hero’s!

pedpeds's avatar

Racial and gender bias, people… particularly ‘Dumb McNamara’, the unfit and unqualified ‘Secretary of War’ appointed by ‘The Emperor’

pedpeds's avatar

oh.. my word, Gail. I can't believe it! Plz, don't tell us that Pete Hegseth, Todd M. Lyons, and his lot are your heroes, too!!

Nick's avatar

Take your own medicine 🤡

Matthew Holzapfel's avatar

Thank you Mr. Secretary,

Need to look at the Peace Corps as well.

Mark's avatar

I served my Country for decades as a Marine, CIA officer and Diplomat. This Administration is completely corrupted and allowing millions to die with the closure of USAID due to what? Musk's racism? Trump's interest only in self-enrichment? Are these criminals really going to invade Greenland? What the fuck happened to you Rubio?

Chris's avatar

As a marine you’d know what cesspool of money laundering the USAID was and that no one is dying due to its closure (funds were transferred under a different spending mechanism enabling real and supportable spending to continue).

I suspect your appeal to authority ie. Saying you are an ex-marine, exposes you as a bot.

Yes, we will invade Greenland but likely at the behest of the indigenous people and probably counter to DK’s progressive thinking, but they will come around. This is more Trump bluster and should not be taken literally.

Sonia Nordenson's avatar

The bluster is always purposeful.

Jay K.'s avatar

Why would a marine know that? Do you know anything about the real world?

Chris's avatar

Good point. I was thinking more of commissioned officer,so comment might be bit vague. I have lived in over half a dozen countries and traveled extensively, but do not claim any special knowledge. My main point is that there are many sources of funding including other NGOs (funded by foundations etc) who can step up. I was hoping to get an actual analysis of data to support the claim of “millions harmed/died”

Vidvuds Beldavs's avatar

I have deep respect for the AID people that I have worked with. They were all dedicated to improving prospects for people around the world and for promoting effective government based on the rule of law. I saw discipline and high standards. The AID venture investment program was developed by a Nobel laureate in development economics. The best people in the world making a serious attempt to deal with real problems. They deserve praise and appreciation for the good they are working and fighting for rather than stupid and uninformed comments by internet trolls.

Chris's avatar

Agreed. The programs however needed to be reset which involves shutting them off. As i understand it funding was resumed for projects with data to support.

I suspect the money is misappropriated before the field staff see what goes on.

Kathy L's avatar

Because USAID helps everyone except those that need real AID! Ethiopia has been getting aid specifically to grow food and improve their living conditions since the 1960's. Want to tell me why, 65 years later, they're in the same place they were at the start? USAID is about coercing countries to confirm to the will of the US or they'll overturn their government. We're done with that model.

Mark's avatar

I served in Ethiopia and I lived in Eritrea for five years. You have no idea what you are talking about Kathy. I also served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Liberia, Angola, Haiti, Mali, Niger and elsewhere. My name is Mark Bent and here is my LinkedIn profile - so, yeah, I do know about international affairs. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentmark/

Kathy L's avatar

I'm not so interested in who you are or where you've been. If you're so knowledgeable about the subject maybe you can tell my why Ethiopians are still getting aid 65 years later and still starving? BTW, I was the Finanicial Director for the a major non-profit fundraising organization and I'm fully aware of how this works!

Mark's avatar

USAID - money laundering? What - for our secret USAID base on the dark side of the moon?

Jay K.'s avatar

Finally someone that isn’t a cult member posted a comment

Chris's avatar

Just kidding, right?