VANGUARD - Expressing the viewpoint of the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist)
For National Independence and Socialism • www.cpaml.org
(Above: sourced from thetonymichaels.substack.com)
An internal memo from inside the Trump administration in Washington has revealed most of the USAID foreign programs are not scheduled to re-open after their ninety day suspension. It comes as no great surprise for informed observers, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
News that about a third of staffers employed by the DOGE have resigned in protest at government cuts, however, was not anticipated; it shows a substantial groundswell of public opinion opposed to the presidential administration and its policies is taking place.
Information contained in a memo has revealed the Trump administration intend to save an estimated US$60 billion from closing about ninety per cent of the present USAID program, cutting 5800 of the 6200 existing programs. (1) The move marks a dramatic shift away from traditional US diplomacy which was based in foreign assistance to safeguard 'US interests'.
With the Indo-Pacific becoming a theatre for aggressive diplomacy against China, the moves, at face value, appear contradictory and nonsensical. They appear to have taken place in an air of right-wing popularism couched in terms of criticisms that the existing programs advance liberal agendas which have been assessed as not being compatible with the position of the Trump administration and its far-right policies.
The aid programs in the region have, historically, been designed to provide assistance to the most needy sections of Pacific Islands, many of which have little, if any, sustainable economic development provision. In the period 2012-2022 the US provided US$1.5 billion with the US-Pacific Co-operation program, together with a further US$810 million for expanded programs. (2)
Pacific Islands' governments have tended to remain dependent upon neo-colonial financiers which invariably exploit the mass of the population. Programs which have concentrated upon food and medical provision together with governance to provide political stability have been a useful contribution for millions of people.
Whether Australia and other countries now move in to occupy the aid vacuum created by the Trump administration remains to be seen; a statement from Canberra has already noted 'it was unrealistic to think Australia – already the Pacific's largest aid donor – could totally fill the gap left by the US … the announcement has left Australia racing to identify the South Pacific's most pressing funding needs … Australia had started auditing which Pacific programs were most at risk, with a view to shouldering some of the burden'. (3)
The moves by the Trump administration have been accompanied by similar developments in the domestic sphere inside the US; planning to literally gut government spending have already taken place, with further rounds planned in due course. (4)
The unease over DOGE cuts has extended to sections of the military. Kelly Hammett, director of the US Space Rapid Capabilities Office, said his organization risks being “inordinately impacted" by workforce reductions underway with the Trump administration.
In a Mad magazine Spy vs Spy scenario, he revealed that the Space Force has had a secretive, orbital tool that can gather information on China’s own network of sensors that monitor American satellites.
As a small organization with roughly 50 civilian and 20 military employees, some in at-risk categories like probationary workers, Hammett warned his office could be disproportionately affected by labour cuts that are underway by the Trump administration. He said he was losing staff, but could not “hire people back because we’re under a hiring freeze”.
Rob Joyce, former director of cybersecurity at the NSA, said "Eliminating probationary employees will destroy a pipeline of top talent essential for hunting and eradicating threats”.
“I want to raise my grave concerns that the aggressive threats to cut US government probationary employees will have a devastating impact on cybersecurity and our national security,” he said.
Oh, wouldn’t it be a shame if the man who tried to incite a coup was overthrown in one by a military determined to maintain its numbers in the face of DOGE cutbacks.(5)
What has received little publicity, however, is that an open revolt has already started against the position of the Trump administration. In late February a third of the staffers employed by DOGE resigned their positions on the grounds that the spending cuts 'endanger millions of Americans who rely upon these services every day'. (6) Despite employees in government departments receiving emails from DOGE a mass movement of government employees have ignored the correspondence or 'downplayed the risks of not answering it', in defiance of the directive. (7) Basic trade union principles are being re-born.
The moves taken by the Trump administration also remain reminiscent of the Thatcher administration in Westminster, over forty years ago. Their initial economic rationalist policies were on the premise that the economy would 'bottom out' following drastic government spending cuts. Their distorted vision was that a new economy would then arise like a phoenix from the ashes, with trickle-down economic advantage for lower socio-economic groups. It never happened. In fact, in common-sense terms, economies do not reach rock bottom but continue to deteriorate indefinitely without responsible government support.
It is particularly interesting to note, therefore, that the statements from the Trump administration have marked a significant shift away from usual bravado and displays of splendour; they have tended to convey a view that the US is already in terminal decline and not able to lead or defend the west. Their costings appear quite drastic cast against a backcloth of hyper-delusion and megalomania.
It is, ironically therefore, a time when the demand for Australia to pursue an independent foreign policy is winnable!
1. US to cut 90pc of foreign aid packs, Australian, 28 February 2025.
2. Fact Sheet: US Embassy and Consulates in Australia, 30 September 2022.
3. Australian, op.cit., 28 February 2025.
4. DOGE exodus: one-third of Musk's staff resign in protest, Australian, 27 February 2025.
5. Details from US online magazine Breaking Defense
6. Ibid. Doge exodus…
7. Ibid.