Amid recent cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) budget, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) offered a ridiculous excuse for why the agency use of taxpayer dollars to fund programs such as the children’s puppet show Sesame Street in Iraq.
During an interview on CNN, Coons was asked about the Trump administration’s efforts to close down USAID after it was revealed that there had been billions of dollars of waste exposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Despite the growing concerns over federal spending, the Democrat defended the $20 million allocation for the program, calling it “pennies on the dollar” in comparison to the $30 billion annual budget of the program, which pales in contrast to the U.S. Department of Defense's $850 billion budget.
“This isn’t just funding a kids’ show for children — millions of children — in countries like Iraq,” Coons said. “It’s a show that helps teach values, helps teach public health, helps prevent kids from dying from dysentery and disease, and helps push values like collaboration, peacefulness, and cooperation in a society where the alternative is ISIS, extremism, and terrorism.”
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“As [former President Bill Clinton’s aide Joseph] Joe Nye [Jr.] would often say, ‘It’s not just soft power; it’s smart power,’” he continued.
🚨Democrats are now reduced to desperately defending the indefensible on USAID.
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 8, 2025
Sen Chris Coons explains that sending $20M US taxpayer dollars to Iraq for Sesame Street is completely justified:
“It’s a show that helps teach values." pic.twitter.com/Lbilz4UuN0
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