Trump's and Project 2025's plan to take the GOP's culture war globalIE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.Skip to ContentMSNBC LogoLatestRachel MaddowMorning JoeInside with Jen PsakiDeadline: Legal BlogRACHEL MADDOW PRESENTS: ULTRATrump on Trial The ReidOut BlogTrump Documents LibraryColumnistsMSNBC FilmsTrump Transition Share this —SearchSearchFeatured ShowsThe Rachel Maddow ShowMondays 9PM ETMorning JoeWeekdays 6am ETDeadline: White House with Nicolle WallaceWeekdays 4PM ETThe Beat with Ari MelberWeeknights 6PM ETThe ReidOut with Joy ReidWeeknights 7PM ETAll In with Chris HayesTUESDAY-FRIDAY 8PM ETThe Last Word with Lawrence O’DonnellWeeknights 10PM ETThe 11th Hour with Stephanie RuhleWeeknights 11PM ETAlex Wagner TonightTuesday-Friday 9PM ETMSNBC TVWatch LiveListen LiveMoreMSNBC Live EventsMSNBC on PeacockMSNBC ColumnistsTV ScheduleMSNBC NewslettersPodcastsTranscriptsMSNBC Insights CommunityMSNBC StoreHelpTrump Trials Documents LibraryFollow msnbcMore BrandsToday LogoNBC News LogoMore ShowsWay Too EarlyAna Cabrera ReportsJosé Díaz-Balart ReportsChris Jansing ReportsKaty Tur ReportsSymoneThe Katie Phang ShowVelshiInside with Jen PsakiWeekends with Jonathan CapehartAlex Witt ReportsPoliticsNationAymanSearchSearchFacebookTwitterEmailSMSPrintWhatsappRedditPocketFlipboardPinterestLinkedinTOP STORIESNews and analysis from the day’s top stories.LATESTNEWSLETTERUnder Project 2025, the GOP plans to export its culture war Republicans want to use one of the world’s biggest humanitarian organizations to spread their far-right agenda.By Ali VelshiThis is an adapted excerpt from the Sept. 28 episode of "Velshi."No area of government seems to be safe from the clutches of Project 2025; that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development, also known as USAID. Chapter 9 of the far-right blueprint is dedicated to USAID, which distributes aid to more than 100 countries in the form of humanitarian assistance, health infrastructure and economic development.Project 2025 sees USAID’s status as one of the world’s biggest humanitarian organizations as an opportunity to export its right-wing culture war obsessions to the world. That includes abortion. On page 260, Project 2025 calls for reinstating the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy, widely known as the “Mexico City Policy.” It’s an old policy that blocks U.S. federal funding for organizations that perform or promote abortion as a method of family planning in foreign countries, first introduced by President Ronald Reagan. But if the Mexico City policy’s goal was to stop abortion … it didn’t work. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa affected by the policy, for example, saw increased abortion rates, according to a 2019 study featured in the Lancet Global Health Journal.On page 265, Project 2025 asserts, “The continued high rate of maternal and infant mortality is a persistent global tragedy. Contrary to current publicity, this problem is not solved by abortion.” That’s actually contrary to reality. Decreased access to abortion means increased maternal mortality rates. According to the World Health Organization, nearly half of all abortions conducted worldwide are considered “unsafe,” and according to the Guttmacher Institute, nearly 11% of all maternal mortality comes from these unsafe abortions.  As I’ve said time and time again: Abortion is health care. In America and around the world, restricting abortion means restricting women’s health care. Project 2025 also wants the president to be able to dictate abortion policy worldwide. A section on page 261 reads:Current law in the Foreign Assistance Act gives the President broad authority to set “such terms and conditions as he may determine” on foreign assistance, which legally empowers the next conservative President to expand this pro-life policy.The goal here is to hold the rights of women hostage, with the carrot of U.S. aid in exchange. This chapter’s war on women continues. On page 259, the plan suggests:[USAID] should remove all references, examples, definitions, photos, and language on USAID websites, in agency publications and policies, and in all agency contracts and grants that include the following terms: “gender,” “gender equality,” “gender equity,” “gender diverse individuals,” “gender aware,” “gender sensitive,” etc. It should also remove references to “abortion,” “reproductive health,” and “sexual and reproductive rights” and controversial sexual education materials.This head-in-the-sand approach to those big scary woke words may be in line with right-wing domestic politics, but fighting this culture war on the global stage would be an incredible disservice to women everywhere.The USAID Office of Population and Reproductive Health actually helps fight child marriage. It also supports programs aiming to end female genital mutilation and gender-based violence. But Project 2025 is so immersed in the right-wing culture wars that it abandons all other reasoning. Case in point: On climate change, page 257 reads: “The aid industry claims that climate change causes poverty, which is false. Enduring conflict, government corruption, and bad economic policies are the main drivers of global poverty.”Again, reality would disagree. The impacts of climate change, like increased frequency of extreme weather, more droughts and harsher heat, could push more than 100 million people into poverty by 2030, according to a report from the World Bank. Yes, you read that correctly: not keep 100 million people in poverty, but push 100 million more into it. Page 257 is chock full of ideas: It suggests that:The next conservative Administration should rescind all climate policies from its foreign aid programs (specifically USAID’s Climate Strategy 2022–2030); shut down the agency’s offices, programs, and directives designed to advance the Paris Climate Agreement; and narrowly limit funding to traditional climate mitigation efforts. … The agency should cease collaborating with and funding progressive foundations, corporations, international institutions, and NGOs that advocate on behalf of climate fanaticism. This would be a death blow to the fight against global climate change. USAID’s climate strategy is full of goals to reduce emissions, conserve at-risk ecosystems, and develop renewable energy systems around the world. Cutting this funding would hurt the folks already disproportionately feeling the effects of climate change: The 74 lowest-income nations contribute to only one-10th of emissions but stand to be affected the most by climate change.So there you have it: Women as breeding stock and the world as a dumping ground — that’s international development courtesy of Project 2025.This post is part of “Inside Project 2025,” an ongoing series on MSNBC’s “Velshi.” Each week, host Ali Velshi explores some of the most outrageous proposals from the Heritage Foundation’s playbook for a second Trump presidency and explains how they could impact you. Read how Project 2025 would affect the gun crisis, the census and federal disaster relief. Ali VelshiAli Velshi is the host of “Velshi,” which airs Saturdays and Sundays on MSNBC. He has been awarded the National Headliner Award for Business & Consumer Reporting for “How the Wheels Came Off,” a special on the near collapse of the American auto industry. His work on disabled workers and Chicago’s red-light camera scandal in 2016 earned him two News and Documentary Emmy Award nominations, adding to a nomination in 2010 for his terrorism coverage.Armand Manoukian and Allison Detzel contributed.Previous PostAmber Thurman’s family slams GOP on abortion again after Vance equivocates at debateNext PostRead Jack Smith’s unsealed redacted motion on Trump presidential immunityLatest PostTrump's latest order would fulfill a key Project 2025 goal of taking over independent agenciesAboutContactHelpCareersMSNBC StoreAD ChoicesPrivacy PolicyDo Not Sell My Personal InformationCA NoticeTerms of Service (Updated JULY 7, 2023)MSNBC SitemapClosed CaptioningAdvertiseJoin the MSNBC Community© 2025 MSNBC Cable, L.L.C.NBC News LogoMSNBC LogoToday Logo
Tying humanitarian aid to right wing cultural ideas is precisely the kind of dirt bag practice that people have long feared the US would do.  If we do that, countries will come to resent the US.

Russia will celebrate no longer being the world's only pariah state, Europe's political influence will grow, and China will exploit it economically.