Democratic members of Congress reassure hesitant protesters that they will impede President Trump's intended termination of USAID.
In a rally near the Capitol on Wednesday, protestors gathered to voice their opposition to President Donald Trump's efforts to eliminate the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Members of Congress, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Reps. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) and Dina Titus (D-Nev.), addressed the crowd, expressing concerns about the potential replacement of hardworking federal employees with Trump political cronies and the risk of closing other federal programs, such as Social Security.
Among the protestors was Ollie Davidson, a former USAID employee who spent 23 years at the agency and worked in Vietnam, Ghana, and the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. Davidson, who saved thousands of lives through disaster aid, stated that the people he helped did not come to the U.S. as terrorists but as tourists. He expressed his concern about the impact of the potential USAID closure on human lives.
A USAID contractor, who lost income due to a 90-day pause and review of foreign aid, also attended the protest and shared her concerns. She couldn't find her coworkers due to the large turnout. Some protestors seemed disillusioned about Democrats' ability to effectively protect USAID, with one protestor stating, "I don't think people realize that there are humans that are losing jobs because of this."
Rep. Frankel discussed the relatively low costs needed to prevent starvation, to which a protestor responded, "We know this! We do this for a living!" The protestors' chants of "Do your job" and "What's the plan?" occasionally drowned out the members of Congress.
Democrats warned that Trump, with the assistance of billionaire Elon Musk, may attempt to close other federal programs. Rep. Titus stated that if USAID can be closed, other federal programs, such as Social Security, could be at risk. Congressional Democrats expressed optimism that courts would block Trump from unilaterally shuttering USAID.
Davidson worked on disaster recovery efforts for companies like AT&T, IBM, and American Airlines while at the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. He resigned from USAID after President Nixon bombed Cambodia but later returned and spent two years in Ghana due to his wife's medical issue.
As the deadline for federal funding approaches on March 14, Democrats see this as an opportunity to demand reversals of Trump's actions against the federal workforce and agencies. The protestors' voices echoed this sentiment, calling on Congress to take action to protect USAID and the lives it impacts.
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