NEWSLETTERS
SUBSCRIBE
Colorado Politics

Print Edition

Log in
My Account
Log in
Subscribe
My Account
Log in

Colorado lawmaker urges Trump to reconsider shutting down USAID

By Colorado Politics 02/04/2025 | updated 6 months ago

Colorado state Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, urged President Donald Trump to reconsider his decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Developed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, USAID provides billions of dollars in overseas humanitarian aid each year. According to the Congressional Research Service, more than 10,000 people work for USAID.

Joseph, who was born in Haiti and moved to the U.S. as a teenager, said she has experienced USAID’s work firsthand in her home country.

(function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:11095963150525286,size:[0, 0],id:”ld-2426-4417″});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=”//cdn2.lockerdomecdn.com/_js/ajs.js”;j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,”script”,”ld-ajs”);

She served as the global law and development fellow with USAID’s ProJustice program in Cote d’Ivoire, where she protected the rights of people with disabilities.

#dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading [id*=”-outstream-icon”] {display: none !important;}[id*=”-outstream-icon”],[id*=”-outstream-icon”] > img {width: 24px;height: 24px;display: block;cursor: pointer !important;font-size: 24px !important;line-height: 1 !important;max-width: unset !important;vertical-align: unset !important;box-shadow: unset !important;}[id*=”-outstream-icon”]:hover {filter: drop-shadow(black 0px 0px 6px);}#bottom-controls_videoPlayer_8995 {position: absolute;bottom: 5px;left: 5px;display: grid;grid-template-columns: 24px 24px;}#tpd-volume-control_videoPlayer_8995.muted > #volume-on-outstream-icon_videoPlayer_8995,#tpd-volume-control_videoPlayer_8995:not(.muted) > #volume-muted-outstream-icon_videoPlayer_8995 {display: none;}#tpd-play-pause-control_videoPlayer_8995[playing=”true”] > #click-to-play-outstream-icon,#tpd-play-pause-control_videoPlayer_8995[playing=”false”] > #click-to-pause-outstream-icon {display: none;}@media (max-width: 770px) { #dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading iframe[src],#dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading video {display: none !important;} } #dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading #ad-container_videoPlayer_8995 {background: #5a585830 !important;mask: linear-gradient(315deg, #000 30%, #88888855, #000 70%) right / 350% 100%;animation: tpd-shimmer 1.15s infinite;}@keyframes tpd-shimmer {100% {mask-position: left}}#dsk-box-ad-e:not(.new-ad-loading) {background: black;}#dsk-box-ad-e {opacity: 1;animation-name: fadeInOpacity;animation-iteration-count: 1;animation-timing-function: ease-in;animation-duration: 0.75s;}@keyframes fadeInOpacity {0% {opacity: 0;}100% {opacity: 1;}}#dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading #progress-row_videoPlayer_8995,#dsk-box-ad-e.has-countdown #progress-row_videoPlayer_8995 {display: none;}#progress-row_videoPlayer_8995 {width: 100%;display: block;bottom: 0px;position: absolute;}#dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading #progressLabel-container_videoPlayer_8995 {display: none;}@media (max-width: 770px) { #progressLabel-container_videoPlayer_8995 {display: none;} } #dsk-box-ad-e.has-countdown #progressLabel-container_videoPlayer_8995 {display: none;}#progressLabel-container_videoPlayer_8995 {width: 468px;position: absolute;bottom: 15px;height: 0px;}#progressLabel_videoPlayer_8995 {color: white;font-size: 7pt;font-family: Arial, Sans-Serif;text-align: center;width: fit-content;height: 5px;margin: auto;}#progressBar_videoPlayer_8995 {width: 468px;height: 3px;background-color: lightgray;}#progress_videoPlayer_8995 {height: 100%;background-color: cornflowerblue;width: 0;}#dsk-box-ad-e:not(.replay) #replay-outstream-container_videoPlayer_8995 {display: none !important;}#dsk-box-ad-e.replay #replay-outstream-container_videoPlayer_8995 {display: flex;height: 100%;width: 100%;z-index: 99;position: relative;background: black;}#dsk-box-ad-e.replay #replay-outstream-icon_videoPlayer_8995 {width: 30px;height: 30px;margin: auto;position: relative;background-image: url(‘data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg fill=”white” height=”30px” width=”30px” xmlns=”https://www.w3.org/2000/svg” viewBox=”0 0 74.999 74.999″ xml:space=”preserve” stroke=”black”%3E%3Cpath d=”M33.511 71.013c15.487 0 28.551-10.563 32.375-24.859h9.113L61.055 22 47.111 46.151h8.006c-3.44 8.563-11.826 14.628-21.605 14.628-12.837 0-23.28-10.443-23.28-23.28 0-12.836 10.443-23.28 23.28-23.28 6.604 0 12.566 2.768 16.809 7.196l5.258-9.108c-5.898-5.176-13.619-8.32-22.065-8.32C15.034 3.987 0 19.019 0 37.5c-.002 18.481 15.03 33.513 33.511 33.513z”/%3E%3C/svg%3E’);}#dsk-box-ad-e.replay #bottom-controls_videoPlayer_8995_videoPlayer_8995,#dsk-box-ad-e.replay [id*=”-outstream-icon”]:not([id^=”replay-outstream-icon”]) {display: none !important;}#dsk-box-ad-e.replay #video-container_videoPlayer_8995 {display: none !important;}#dsk-box-ad-e {margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;}/* Main Styling */#dsk-box-ad-e.first-render {display: none !important;}#page-content_videoPlayer_8995 {display: inline-block;}#video-container_videoPlayer_8995 {position: relative;}#video-element_videoPlayer_8995 {position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;}/* Some providers inject their ad content into the video element *//* but if not we hide it. */#video-element_videoPlayer_8995:not([src]) {display: none;}#ad-container_videoPlayer_8995 {position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;cursor: pointer;}#dsk-box-ad-e,#page-content_videoPlayer_8995,#video-container_videoPlayer_8995,#video-element_videoPlayer_8995,#ad-container_videoPlayer_8995 {width: 468px;height: 60px;}#dsk-box-ad-e div[id*=”google_ads_iframe_”] {width: 468px !important;height: 60px !important;z-index: -1;position: absolute;}

Pause
Play
Unmute
Mute

“In many African countries, individuals with disabilities face severe discrimination, and USAID played a crucial role in challenging these injustices,” she wrote. “The agency’s efforts to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities are vital, and I have seen firsthand the difference it makes in creating more inclusive societies.”

Joseph acknowledged that the Trump administration has criticized some USAID spending as frivolous but argued that for every instance of expenditure labeled as wasteful, there are countless examples of how the organization is saving and improving lives.

“Closing USAID would not only undo decades of progress but also diminish our standing as a leader in global development, democracy, and human rights,” she said. “USAID is essential to building stronger, more resilient communities around the world, whether through disaster relief, democratic governance programs, or empowering marginalized populations. The work of USAID is a reflection of our nation’s values, and it would be a tragic misstep to close it down.

“I ask that you protect and strengthen USAID’s mission, ensuring it continues its critical work in advancing justice, human rights, and development across the globe,” she added. 

Trump has accused USAID of being run by “a bunch of radical lunatics,” while tech billionaire Elon Musk called the organization “criminal.”

Trump and Musk claim USAID has wasted taxpayer money on funding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives overseas.

According to a White House report titled “At USAID, Waste and Abuse Runs Deep,” USAID has provided millions of dollars in aid to DEI initiatives in countries like Serbia, Ireland, Columbia, and Guatemala.

Among them, the White House report said, were the following: 

  • $1.5 million for DEI in Serbia’s workplaces 

  • $70,000 for production of a DEI musical in Ireland

  • $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia

  • $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru

  • $2 million for sex changes and “LGBT activism” in Guatemala

(function(){ var script = document.createElement(‘script’); script.async = true; script.type = ‘text/javascript’; script.src = ‘https://ads.pubmatic.com/AdServer/js/userSync.js’; script.onload = function(){ PubMaticSync.sync({ pubId: 163198, url: ‘https://trk.decide.dev/usync?dpid=16539124085471338&uid=(PM_UID)’, macro: ‘(PM_UID)’ }); }; var node = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0]; node.parentNode.insertBefore(script, node); })();

(function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:11095961405694822,size:[0, 0],id:”ld-5817-6791″});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=”//cdn2.lockerdomecdn.com/_js/ajs.js”;j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,”script”,”ld-ajs”);

Tags
Colorado Politics

Reporter

PREV

PREVIOUS

RFK Jr. clears Senate panel after GOP holdout sides with HHS nominee

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cleared a crucial Senate hurdle on Tuesday after the chamber’s Finance Committee advanced along party lines his nomination to be health and human services secretary. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who clashed with the Trump nominee during confirmation hearings last week over Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism, was an initial holdout but ultimately voted […]

NEXT

NEXT UP

Colorado students push for official state mushroom, Agaricus julius, to be designated

Colorado may soon join seven other states in having its own state mushroom — thanks to the work of a group of students from Horizon High School in Thornton.  House Bill 1091, sponsored by Rep. Jacque Phillips, D-Thornton, designates Agaricus julius, also known as the emperor mushroom, as the official state mushroom of Colorado.  After […]
Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests