Moldova among countries where US “wasted” funds, Trump says during speech to Congress

The Republic of Moldova was among the countries where the United States “wasted” aid funds, according to president Donald Trump, who spoke before the Republican-dominated Congress.

Trump claimed that government funds had been spent on useless programs in Moldova and Serbia, among other countries. These received assistance from the US through USAID, the agency that Trump shut down.

In reality, the USAID programs in Moldova backed energy projects. Four projects, with a combined value of over USD 200 million, are affected by the suspension, in a country already struggling with its energy consumption, a sector routinely weaponized by Russia to keep its client states in line.

Donald Trump also referred to Lesotho in Africa as a country "that no one has ever heard of" while giving examples of government programs that wasted funds. In that country, the US allocated USD 8 million to promote LGBTQ+ rights, the president claimed. He added that the funds were cut by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department for Government Efficiency.

Additionally, Trump suggested in his speech that deceased individuals were receiving mass payments from Social Security, despite this claim being debunked by the interim commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Nevertheless, the US president claimed that the Department for Government Efficiency reportedly uncovered "fraud worth hundreds of billions of dollars" to reduce the country's debt and combat inflation.

Elon Musk stood up in support of many of Donald Trump's statements, including the restoration of free speech, making English the official language of the US, and the return of federal employees to in-person work. At one point, Trump even praised Musk by name.

In response, the Democratic Party representative Elissa Slotkin argued that Trump’s policies are damaging to Americans.

“The president talked a big game on the economy, but it’s always important to read the fine print,” she said. “So do his plans actually help Americans get ahead? Not even close. President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends,” the senator added.

(Photo source: Sjankauskas and Palinchak | Dreamstime.com)