A new report from the now-fired inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development has found that almost $500 million worth of food aid is at risk of spoiling after the agency was paused.
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The report was released on Monday, and the inspector general responsible for compiling it, Paul Martin, was informed via an email from the Office of Presidential Personnel that he was “terminated, effective immediately.”
Martin’s report highlighted the risk of severe waste that may occur if the goods that have already been purchased are not delivered. At this time, the report says almost half a billion dollars worth of goods that have already been purchased could soon go bad while sitting around the world.
In total, the report says that the agency currently has $489 million worth of food “at ports, in transit, and in warehouses at risk of spoilage, unanticipated storage needs, and diversion.”
USAID also has 500,000 additional metric tons of food that have been loaded onto ships or are ready to be shipped abroad, according to the report.
With funds remaining unspent following Trump’s decision to pause USAID’s work, Martin stressed the importance of “safeguarding and distribution” of $8.2 billion in unspent humanitarian aid.
“Recent widespread staffing reductions across the Agency … coupled with uncertainty about the scope of foreign assistance waivers and permissible communications with implementers, has degraded USAID’s ability to distribute and safeguard taxpayer-funded humanitarian assistance,” the report said.
The impact of shutting down USAID will go beyond stopping humanitarian aid from being delivered to more than 100 countries around the world. The report highlighted that the impact may also be felt domestically, as the agency buys food from U.S. farmers and manufacturers to help deliver aid.
USAID typically buys wheat, sorghum, split peas, and soybeans from farmers in the U.S., typically providing 40% of the agency’s international food assistance.
The United States State Department has been tapped to absorb USAID but has not offered comment on how it will operate the agency moving forward.
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