'Sesame Street in Iraq': USAID's 'wasteful and dangerous' spending exposed by senator | 5 Feb 2025 | Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, published a list of projects and programs she says the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has helped fund across the years, highlighting it as "wasteful and dangerous" spending that has gripped taxpayers until the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) stepped in. "From funneling tax dollars to risky research in Wuhan to sending Ukrainians to Paris Fashion Week, USAID is one of the worst offenders of waste in Washington...all around the world," Ernst posted to X on Monday before rattling off a handful of examples. Ernst highlighted that the agency "authorized a whopping $20 million to create a Sesame Street in Iraq."