DEmbrace the first Trump administration, Mike PinesThe Vice President pledged hundreds of millions of dollars, most of them through the United States Agency for International Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to help Christians and other religious minorities who were persecuted by the Islamic State-in the case of Yazidis- He suffered from genocide.
But under the second Trump administrationThe same figures that defended the rights of religious minorities have been silent or actively participated in the destruction of the United States Agency for International Development, which reduced the decisive aid to support the same societies that have helped one day – which now feel abandoned by the United States.
It had an immediate effect on the ground, according to activists, current and former Usaid Employees, who said that the reduction in aid stopped working between societies that are still painful and planted a sense of betrayal after 10 years of genocide.
In Sinjar, The Iraqi city, where thousands were slaughtered beforeThe freezing stopped operations to provide water, electricity, primary health care centers, building schools, community centers and other basic infrastructure at a time when thousands of Yazidi dates back to their homes after more than a decade in Syrian refugee camps. In one case, the electricity transformers that are already delivered in storage should have been put in place due to the stopping order, leaving a society without reliable electricity.
It was a shock to freeze the US Agency for International Development to help those societies that helped the United States survive. [Before]”American assistance was present everywhere,” said Mirza Dinni, a human rights activist in Yazidi who manage the center of multi -cultural society in Sinjar.
He said that the American Agency for International Development, which provided the vast majority of humanitarian funding to the region, was “the pillar of stability and normalization.”
They had a decisive role in his first administration to recognize the extermination of Yazidi sexual intercourse and support for help IraqDinnayi said. “The rights of minorities and religious freedoms have been supported in the first administration. I wonder why the second administration is not aware of that.”
Charitable societies that support Christian minorities, such as Catholic Relief services (CRS), were directly affected by stopping work, including their programs in the nine plains region in Iraq and between Christian societies, according to people familiar with their work in the region. CRS, the best recipient of the US Agency for International Development, faces up to 50 % of workers’ demobilization this year and began to close programs that represent half of the budget of the organization of $ 1.5 billion, according to Email obtained by the National Catholic correspondent.
“I see a lot of harm in the sudden way in which this help stopped,” said an employee of the United States Agency for International Development in Iraq.
Meanwhile, in Washington, now the conservatives – many previous relations of Pence and the US International Development Agency – alliance with Ellen Musk’s efforts to land the agency.
One of them is Max Bremorak, an older research colleague at the Margaret Tshcher Center, which was composed Project 2025Separating the American Agency for International Development recommends a plan to reduce the size of the agency. he Appointment to the testimony The Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives on Thursday is in a hearing entitled “The Betrayal of the American Agency for International Development”.
Primorac did not respond to an interview with the Heritage Corporation.
Primorac is one of the number of prominent conservatives who supported the PINCE initiative to support religious minorities but have now registered in supporting the freezing of aid. Among the others are Pence himself, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Maraoko House, Trump ally and the US International Development Agency that though this Protected financing for religious initiatives under Pence. According to Marocco, operations with the Patriot International group to Exfiltrate Yazidis in 2016.
From late 2018 to early 2019, Primraac traveled to Erbil and Nortre Araq as a special envoy for PINCE, “Supervising a multi -agent effort in collective genocide to help the return of the religious minority,” according to his current biography on Heitage Foundation.
Colleagues said that he had reached a dark view of the American Agency for International Development, but he came to support at least some of the efforts made by the agency in this field.
“He had a few visits to the areas in which we worked and I think that is others in a positive way,” said one of the US Agency for International Development.
Now, the person said: “For a person who really believes in his mission that supports religious minorities, he does not seem to pay attention or defend somewhat to move forward.”
Primorak later boasted that he led a “anti -general program of $ 400 million … to stimulate the return of Iraqi Christians to their ancient homeland” and the Biden administration has sparked its back on Christians “shocking” in Iraq.
Under Trump’s administration, led a Anti -gene A program in Iraq to help Christian victims and increase the recovery from He is“Geniered Campaign”, written in another article on Newsweek. We have provided these religious minorities with humanitarian aid, [and] Social psychological assistance. “
It has now become one of the leading voices calling for a resolution of the agency, as he had a recent opening article for Fox News “How Usaid woke up and destroyed itself.” A prior copy of his testimony on the house specified on Thursday did not indicate his work in Iraq.
Former colleagues say they are participating in some PRIMORAC’s criticism of the American Agency for International Development, but they felt confused because of their widespread denial of their work, and the programs that have previously collaborated with.
“If we will achieve a meaningful reform in the foreign aid system, we need a sincere dialogue,” said a person who leads a major project for Al -Qamilili in Iraq.
“I only hope so [Primorac] He will approach the conversation in a similar way, while recognizing all the great work achieved by the United States Agency for International Development – especially in Iraq. “
Change reflects how senior Republicans turn into their views under the Trump administration and a campaign led by Musk to cancel the agency, which was called “criminal” and “corrupt”.
The current and former US Development Agency members in this field said they have not heard anything from their former supporters in the United States, and they were actually cut off from regimes that would give important information about budgets and projects aimed at supporting societies.
“It is very confusing, to be honest,” said one of the US Agency for the former International Development Agency in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the attack continued in Washington. At the Summit of International Religious Freedom last week, Vice President JD VANCE of the US Agency for International Development on charges of promoting “atheism” with boasting of “the relief of Yazidis, Christians and other religious societies facing the horror of genocide from ISIS” in the past.
“It was confused to hear the vice president, the hero of these initiatives, while money for such efforts was turned off at the same time, literally,” Adam Nicholas Philips wroteThe main administration official at the United States Agency for International Development works on faith -based partnerships during the Biden administration.
“Perhaps the attacks on the US International Development Agency may be misleading and will be corrected. There may be a bold plan to invest in external assistance. I take administration officials with their word while I pray these decisions that are reversed in a hurry.”
