Bush, Obama and a tearful Bono fault Trump’s gutting of USAID on agency’s last day

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush delivered uncommon unfastened disapproval of the Trump medication — and vocalist Bono held backmost tears arsenic helium recited a poem — successful an affectional video farewell connected Monday with staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Obama called the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID "a colossal mistake."

Monday was the past time arsenic an autarkic bureau for the six-decade-old humanitarian and improvement organization, created by President John F. Kennedy arsenic a peaceful mode of promoting U.S. nationalist information by boosting goodwill and prosperity abroad.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered USAID absorbed into the State Department connected Tuesday.

The erstwhile presidents and Bono spoke with thousands successful the USAID assemblage successful a videoconference, which was billed arsenic a closed-press lawsuit to let governmental leaders and others privateness for sometimes aggravated and often teary remarks. Parts of the video were shared with The Associated Press.

They expressed their appreciation for the thousands of USAID staffers who person mislaid their jobs and life's work. Their bureau was 1 of the archetypal and most fiercely targeted for government-cutting by President Donald Trump and his billionaire state Elon Musk, with staffers abruptly locked retired of systems and offices and terminated by wide emailing.

Trump claimed the bureau was tally by "radical near lunatics" and rife with "tremendous fraud." Musk called it "a transgression organization."

Obama, speaking successful a recorded statement, offered assurances to the assistance and improvement workers, immoderate listening from overseas.

"Your enactment has mattered and volition substance for generations to come," helium told them.

Obama has mostly kept a debased nationalist illustration during Trump's 2nd word and refrained from criticizing the monumental changes that Trump has made to U.S. programs and priorities astatine location and abroad.

"Gutting USAID is simply a travesty, and it's a tragedy. Because it's immoderate of the astir important enactment happening anyplace successful the world," Obama said. He credited USAID with not lone redeeming lives, but being a main origin successful planetary economical maturation that has turned immoderate aid-receiving countries into U.S. markets and commercialized partners.

The erstwhile Democratic president predicted that "sooner oregon later, leaders connected some sides of the aisle volition recognize however overmuch you are needed."

Asked for comment, the State Department said it would beryllium introducing the department's overseas assistance successor to USAID, to beryllium called America First, this week.

"The caller process volition guarantee determination is due oversight and that each taxation dollar spent volition assistance beforehand our nationalist interests," the section said.

USAID oversaw programs astir the world, providing h2o and life-saving nutrient to millions uprooted by struggle successful Sudan, Syria, Gaza and elsewhere, sponsoring the "Green Revolution" that revolutionized modern agriculture and curbed starvation and famine, preventing illness outbreaks, promoting democracy, and providing financing and improvement that allowed countries and radical to ascent retired of poverty.

Bush, who besides spoke successful a recorded message, went consecutive to the cuts successful a landmark AIDS and HIV program started by his Republican medication and credited with redeeming 25 cardinal lives astir the world.

Bipartisan blowback from Congress to cutting the fashionable President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known arsenic PEPFAR, helped prevention important backing for the program. But cuts and regularisation changes person reduced the fig getting the life-saving care.

"You've showed the large spot of America done your enactment — and that is your bully heart,'' Bush told USAID staffers. "Is it successful our nationalist interests that 25 cardinal radical who would person died present live? I deliberation it is, and truthful bash you," helium said.

Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, erstwhile Colombian President Juan Manual Santos and erstwhile U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield besides spoke to the staffers.

So did humanitarian workers, including 1 who spoke of the invited quality of USAID staffers with nutrient erstwhile she was a frightened 8-year-old kid successful a Liberian exile camp. A World Food Program authoritative vowed done sobs that the U.S. assistance ngo would beryllium backmost someday.

Bono, a longtime humanitarian advocator successful Africa and elsewhere, was announced arsenic the "surprise guest," successful shades and a cap.

He jokingly hailed the USAID staffers arsenic "secret agents of planetary development" successful acknowledgment of the down-low quality of Monday's unofficial gathering of the USAID community.

Bono held backmost tears astatine times arsenic helium recited a poem helium had written to the bureau and its gutting. He spoke of children dying of malnutrition, a notation to millions of radical who Boston University researchers and different analysts accidental volition dice due to the fact that of the U.S. cuts to backing for wellness and different programs abroad.

"They called you crooks. When you were the champion of us," Bono said.