‘Soft power’: Americans debate US foreign aid cuts

I have tackled just about every issue there is to discuss over the last year on America speaks here on straight arrow news, but one of the key issues I have not discussed with the American people is the issue of foreign aid.

We have an administration now that has taken a different approach. Some organizations are being shut down. Some money is no longer being spent. So I wanted to go to the American people and get their perspective. What do they think of foreign aid, how it’s being spent, is it effective? Is it going to the right countries? And most importantly, can you see results from this foreign aid?

But before I go any further, I want you to just to give me one sentence when I talk about foreign aid,

Cassie, what do you think of in a sentence America’s soft power around the world. Brett, what do you think of,

I think of the impact to foreign countries.

You know, how it helps them and how it hinders them? From from

my perspective.

Joffrey, what do you think of when I say foreign aid?

I think of impact of America around the world.

Sadie, how do you answer that question? I think about helping countries throughout natural disasters that happen, or just

third world countries that need help. Anna, you’re up. I would say it’s never ending spending tax, taxpayers money.

Ryan,

America’s positive moral influence on the world. Meredith, to be a superpower, you have to spend some money.

Matt, when I say foreign aid, what do you think of I think we’re helping ourselves by helping other people. Steven, foreign aid, you think in a sentence? What? Yeah, giving vote to the society.

Chris,

voting America’s credibility around the world at a comparatively low cost.

Franklin,

yeah, I share that

how America supports other countries.

Danielle, a foreign aid.

I think it’s the way the US defines its global footprint on on a variety of issues. Alex, how do you answer that question,

buying buying friends, influence power and votes in the UN

and Alan, how do you answer that?

Alan, how do you answer that

foreign aid can be effective as long as we’re not being ripped off. Should we spend more or less money on foreign aid going forward than we spend right now?

More? Because from what I understand, it’s a very small fraction of the budget overall, and

we can afford I mean, I don’t know the the small details of the budget, but from everything I’ve read and understand, it’s not something that we can’t afford to do, and it comes back to us helping the helping the world

we live in, this world, and making it a better place would come back to us. Is your opinion of foreign aid getting better or worse over the last few years? Who says better? Raise your hands.

One to almost all of you. Who says getting worse.

Four of you. Okay, please tell me why it’s getting better. Anyone here? Why is it improving? My opinion is getting better. Ever since COVID, I’ve seen how interconnected the world is, especially through disease. And if we can prevent the spread of disease afar, perhaps it can save it from coming here and impacting 1000s, hundreds, you know, millions of lives. So I think it’s all connected countries are getting more needy, and I don’t think that we’ve accomplished,

or had any accomplishments that we can say, Okay, we’re done. That that made an impact. And we’re, you know, we don’t have to do that again. So, um, you know, that’s, that’s how I feel somebody else, I feel that, um, we’ve been giving sorry. I feel like we’ve been giving so much money to Ukraine and Russia and Gaza and all that, that like we’re just exhausting ourselves.

And it’s just it’s never ending like and we are nowhere, you know, nowhere closer to a resolution. I say I’d rather give American dollars than American lives. And I think we’re seeing, you know, more of impact in dollars than we are with human power right now. And I think that has improved it for me, where I think in the past, you know, America has just sent people rather than dollars. And so I think we’re seeing more with dollars now than people.

Alex, I see your hand up,

as it’s always nice to give to people. For example, if you see a beggar, homeless person on the street, I throw them a few dollars what have you. But when we owe $38 trillion in debt, and we have starving people here. We have people who can’t afford to pay their bills, who struggle every day left and right, the fact the idea that we’re the wealthiest country and should give people check. Why don’t we try to take care of people here first? Then when everybody’s on their feet, then we can start to lend people. Hey, here you go. Here’s help. Here’s one handy. I don’t think anybody’s against helping people, but when, when we’re not standing on our own two feet, when we’re borrowing more than any other country, actually, any other two or three countries combined, and what we have starving people here in the US, think, take care of your own first, and everybody else.

Yeah, I think I was going to initially said that. And I think, you know, spending the money to help stabilize governments that could be volatile or somehow, you know, destabilize the world, if we’re, you know, taking a little bit of that burden, I think that’s in our bigger interests as a global superpower, and as you know, the one who always gets called in when something goes wrong. I think if we can spend the money up front to help these countries when they need it, rather than when they’re in crisis, I think we’re all better off. Chris, why is foreign aid so important?

China’s on a path to try to dominate the developing world through its, you know, various measures like the bell and Road Initiative. And when we create power vacuums in those places by leading them, China fills them very easily. And I think it’s the world is a better place when America has more influence than, you know, the Communist Chinese party. Chinese Communist Party. Steven, why is foreign aid so important?

You know, personally, I feel it’s important because we’re talking about humanitarian services, and I feel as a country, definitely we need to another sense of consciousness to share one another’s body, and I believe it’s so important to do this, because, as humanity exists, definitely we need to come to our rescue.

Brian, how would you answer that question? Uh, morally, it’s the right thing to do. There are people around the world that need help whose governments are not moral enough or competent enough in order to be able to do that, and we as Americans should step in and help explain to me the other side of foreign aid why we’re spending too much said before economically, we actually can’t afford. We have the most indebted country in the world, and have way too many things domestically than fonts and attention, but internationally, when you

shell, when you give tons and tons of capital to countries, even if it’s for great reasons, overall, It creates a dependency situation. Doesn’t urge the countries to develop their own economies or their own social nets or anything towards that effect, and as soon as

backwards removed, then we get to be blamed as the bad guy, or things happen, or what have you. Ryan, how do you answer that question? I think one of the potential limits is that other countries that are also supposed to be helping us in the aid might not be as proactive in doing so if we are giving all this money. So we saw after Trump and Zelensky had their argument in the White House, and the White House pulled back some of our aid to Ukraine, other European countries increase their spending in order to offset that, and it certainly begs the question, why they weren’t doing a little more of that before and Brett

I the first word was endless, that we can’t do this for forever.

I think we need to set terms and time frames and timelines and how much

so we accomplish. I meant that before I think we have to have the goals and get there, but not an endless amount of money.

Hey, I want to stretch a little bit bigger.

Now,

which is, what is the role of America across the globe in April of 2025

you can go in any direction. But if I asked you in four or five senses to define America’s role across the globe in 2025

what would you say? I’m going to call on a few of you.

Cassie, how would you respond to that question, America’s role in 2025

ironically, would say America is the world’s global superpower and watchdog, a global force for good.

We are the biggest and the best democracy, and I think we owe it to the rest of the world to help them have the same as us.

More more allies and more democracies is better for us as Americans overall. Meredith define America’s role across the globe right now, in April of 2025

we should be acting like we’re the superpower, but instead, I think we’re making our allies question our choices and not trust us that we’re going to say what we’re going to do.

Matt America’s role if I was to define it as current right now, we are causing mass chaos throughout the world in many different levels, I’d hope that we aspire to be something more like what the previous guest said, that we are very technologically elite

country, and we should be leading in multiple aspects of this world, but I feel like we’re interjecting chaos, uncertainty and danger throughout the world with our

chaotic actions. It’s very nerve wracking to see Chris what’s America’s role globally. Yeah, I think we’re the world’s superpower, but we are retreating. I agree with a lot of what Matt said. I think it’s scary. All my life I’ve known, you know, a post Cold War world where, you know, democracy, liberal democracy, is, you know, rude the day, and the dollar has been the, you know, the globally set currency. And I think we’re taking for granted that that is the case, and I fear that we’re going to learn the hard way, what happens if we decide to retreat and create power vacuums, and, you know, let our allies down. Think we’re some of the luckiest people in the history of mankind, to be living in United States of America in the 21st century. And it’s America’s job to help other countries who want democracy, and there’s people want democracy to flourish as well, and to help them defend themselves when evil powers arise, and try to take that from them and try to put themselves up on the global stage. That leads me to a question that’s even more important, what is the best way

for the United States of America to ensure a peaceful world? If we want to preserve peace,

if that is our number one objective. What does the US need to do? Cassie, you go up, you’re next. I think it requires peace. Through peace comes through strength. That means strength and strengthening in our allies, which we are doing opposite right now, and we’re treating from some of our closest allies

by spending more. It’s counterintuitive when we have such a big deficit, but spending more, that’s how we won

the Cold War against communism, is we just outspent them. And I think continuing to fund our military to the best of its abilities to build more ships to be ready for any sort of conflict with China or Russia, if they don’t lose to Ukraine. Meredith, I want to keep the world in a peaceful state. What does the US need to do? Yeah, we need peace through strength. And that’s not just military strength. It’s also strength of our government, strength of our leaders, strength of diplomatic relations, building trust with our friends, and building bridges to those who don’t like us, and figuring out ways to make sure they know that we are strong in all those aspects, and our economy strong across the board, not just in military. Then what is the role of foreign aid

in making the world a more peaceful place, if any,

you can say to me that it’s of the past. You can say to me, it doesn’t work.

I’m asking you, How does foreign aid coming from the US and.

Make the world a more peaceful place. If it does,

Cassie, you’re up first.

I think it does.

I think one it’s really good marketing for us alone. We these people are getting these bags of rice that says USA on the side. And when they’re happy that their kids are starving this week, they see USA right there in front of them, being reminded of who’s doing that for them.

Being able to flex that soft power

allows us to have more control over what’s going on in the globe, especially since really the biggest other power that we compete against with in the 21st century is China, who try to do the same thing. And so soft power plays such an important role of keeping the rest of the world on our team.

And that just that, just the bag alone that says USA, and the marketing we get from it, I think, is really good for us and our standing in the world. Chris, yeah, I think there’s a few

perspectives of this in South America. I think giving foreign aid to those countries prevents mass migration through the southern border, which has been a big problem last few years. I think it can definitely help there. I think in the Middle East, it prevents young people from being radicalized and joining groups that are opposed to us and opposed to other countries. I think that’s another important aspect. And I think in Africa, when you see the spread of diseases, and you see different different things come about, to have those vaccines, to have those treatments, and be able to provide them there, and, you know, preventing it from coming to America, that’s that directly benefits us. It keeps the world healthier in a more, you know, peaceful place. Daniella,

yeah, in addition to what many people have said, I think just the aid itself carries a strategic and diplomatic weight that we need to be able to leverage in times like today and as time progresses and these problems continue expanding, we are needing that leverage more than ever with our allies.

Brett, you’re up sure the benefit where we can help, we should help countries with strife, strife causes various bad

conditions, and the aid to me would be a bridge for some countries towards

you know, in third world countries, towards

direct action for their issues they face, whether it’s disease,

what you know, that kind of scenario, and also on the other parts of the world, in a piece to nudge it a bridge to a peaceful direction for the world. So I think that’s kind of

a promoting democracy and something that we ought to really have a helpful hand in the country. We have always been at war, a silent war, or an act of war with disease. We started our revolution fighting smallpox. And when we’ve fought other diseases as well, we have a war on cancer.

If foreign aid can fight infectious diseases afar. You know, it always comes back to us, and like what I’ve read before, it’s a very small percentage of our budget, if we can, you know, make the world a better place. And through disease, everyone wants to live a healthy life,

and foreign aid, you know, fighting disease afar is the best way to keep it from coming to our country.

Let’s say Congress is listening to you right now. They’re watching this focus group, and they want your advice when it comes to the issue of foreign aid, what do you tell Congress? Brett, you’re up first. Okay, I didn’t get a chance to comment on the other one, but it’s directly self reliance, because to me, it encapsulates

all the above, the five categories.

And it’s, to me, it’s a it will help to get to a resolution where those issues can can be solved. So I would say to Congress,

work with these country. Countries provide them the help, obviously, for

their immediate needs, but for the short term. That’s one thing. Long term is another. And I believe self reliance, long term is.

Is the goal, so

head that direction.

Sadie, what do you tell Congress if they’re listening to you right now, I would tell Congress to let’s vaccinate the world. If there’s a vaccine that we can give someone give countries to help them, let’s just do it to every single everybody throughout the world.

Cassie, what do you tell Congress when it comes to foreign aid? I told him to spend more, better to co op than coerce.

Kayla, you’re up.

I think that there needs to be limitations and that they need to be in agreement in order to get the aid and accept the aid, so that they’re not just leeching off of whatever we’re giving them.

And when you say agreement, what specifically do you mean?

Depending on, like, where it goes, specifically how we know it’s being allocated,

right? Ryan, what advice do you have for Congress when it comes to foreign aid?

Keep spending it’s our job as the United States to help provide for the world and help those in need, and we absolutely have the moral obligation to continue.

Meredith,

there are other line items to cut, like, do we really need some of the pet projects in everybody’s districts, or do we need peace across the globe?

Matt,

you can, we can do it. We can. We can make the world a better place.

From the from the numbers. It doesn’t cost us much, and we get a lot of return, and the United States exists in this world, so why not make it a better world?

Daniela,

I agree. Let’s see what we’ve done right in the past. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel and continue doing the things that we know how to do, distributing food, distributing vaccines, those things will take us places.

Alex,

one, keep your hands away from special projects that’s designed for that. And two,

keep foreign aid to

infrastructure development places where it can grow and flourish, rather than just be an open checkbook. Chris, yeah, I would tell them to keep spending on foreign Aida, but make sure it’s efficient, make sure it’s in our interests. But I would also tell them that they need to do a better job of showing the American people what this money is going towards Heather, I believe we should know what where the money is going. But I also believe we should help

foreign countries and help establish hospitals, educate them on sets like, you know, in different countries where there’s aids, and help prevent from a lot of illnesses spreading, just educating them, giving free schooling. Use our E, you know, to help them rebuild countries, because not everybody has it as fortunate as we do. We are very strong in the scheme of things, but we also need to help build other countries to be self sufficient as well. So Congress, please send money to help educate create schools, create

hospitals, educate them.

Steven, if you could talk to Congress right now about foreign aid, what exactly would you tell them?

Yeah, I’ll like to say, for every cent and dollars spent, I think it should be accounted for, and it must be judiciously used for its main purpose, which is very paramount. Donald Trump wants to eliminate USA ID.

Donald Trump wants to eliminate a number of these support programs for foreign aid. He said so in the state of the union’s address, and he said so since then, if Donald Trump are listening right now, what precisely would you say to him about USAID and the other foreign aid programs.

Cassie, you’re up first. No pressure.

I tell President Trump that

even if you don’t believe morally, that it’s America’s job to make the world better or to feed people that aren’t Americans, there’s something in it for us as Americans, the soft power that comes from the aid that we give other countries that are less privileged than us help us be a superpower and help us all to live in a safer world. Chris, if Donald Trump are listening right now about this topic, why would you.

You tell him, yeah, I would tell him that it’s very important it saves lives, and, you know, ultimately, it’s going to make the world a better place. And I would even tell him that, you know, Bill Clinton has a statue of him in Kosovo. You know, Barack Obama has a statue in Ireland. You know, these countries could really, you know, they could name roads after you, name buildings after you. I think he’s really into that kind of stuff, you know? I think, I think he could get some out of this too.

Ryan, what would you tell him?

I would tell him that you can’t have America first and a withdrawal from the rest of the world. It’s those are two competing things, and in order to maintain America, first, we need to continue funding these things. And similar to what Chris said, if it makes him feel better the the boxes of food can have a picture of his face on it, and we can, we can make it all about Him, if we need to, for the next three years, three and a half years, but it can’t stop

Meredith. Rename it Trump aid if we have to, but if it goes away, we will all pay the price.

Good idea.

I believe my name was both. I’d say the same thing has been echoed, Mr. Trump. You know, you will go down as the greatest president. Perhaps you developed the COVID vaccine. Was developed on your watch. You know, helping other people hundreds of years from now, 200 years from now, this is the things that people are going to remember. You know, how you made the country a better place, and how you made the world a better place, and certainly helping other people is going to be on top of that list, Sadie, I would tell him that he can’t turn his back on the world because they need him. I know this is a tough issue. I know that people are concerned about the spending out of Washington and the bureaucracy

and foreign aid seems to be at the crossroads of the pressure for people to see Washington be more efficient, more effective and more accountable. I really appreciate your participation. I appreciate your perspectives. It’s rare to hear this from average, everyday Americans, but that’s exactly what we do at straight arrow news. I’m Dr Frank Luntz, this has been the latest segment of America speaks, and I look forward to seeing you again soon, everyone, you’re awesome. Thank you for participating, and we are done. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all.