SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Members of the Honduran Armed Forces carry a box containing some of the 8,000 diagnostic testing kits donated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to Honduras to fight the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic at the airport in Tegucigalpa on April 29, 2020. (Photo: Orlando Sierra / AFP via Getty Images)
As Covid-19 Cases Surge in Developing Countries, USAID Disbands Coronavirus Task Force
Shutting down the agency's task force "won't make Covid-19 go away," one healthcare worker said.
Sep 08, 2020
A federal task force fighting the spread of the coronavirus around the world will disband on Wednesday amid efforts by the Trump administration to treat the Covid-19 pandemic as an event that is firmly in the past.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced Tuesday it will discontinue its coronavirus pandemic task force, shifting responsibilities back to bureaus and offices within the agency.
USAID will establish a "Readiness Unit" after the task force is deactivated,Politico reported, but the unit is "not a substitute" for the coordinated work done by the task force over the past six months, according to the outlet's foreign affairs reporter, Nahal Toosi.
The task force will disband as the worldwide death toll approaches 900,000 and the total confirmed cases surpasses 27.3 million.
Several developing countries have seen the pandemic grow more severe in recent weeks, including India, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Late last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned low-income countries could face a "lost decade" without help from wealthier countries, including guaranteed access to medical supplies and protection of medical supply chains.
The task force has sent thousands of ventilators to countries including Colombia, South Africa, and India in recent months, as well as coordinated with local governments, NGOs, and other organizations to help communities in more than 120 countries combat the spread of the coronavirus. The agency has committed more than $1.6 billion to help improve public health education and increase local governments' ability to rapidly respond to outbreaks.
Politico reported that some at USAID believe the dismantling of the task force will lead to "greater dysfunction" as the agency tries to mitigate the global spread of Covid-19.
The Trump administration, looking ahead to the November general election, has made a concerted effort since the pandemic began to downplay the public health crisis. Last month at the Republican National Convention, administration leaders referred to the pandemic in the past tense.
Larry Kudlow, a top economic adviser to the president, told voters the pandemic "was awful" when it was going on but suggested several times that it was resolved, even as the U.S. reported about 1,000 deaths per day from Covid-19 and its complications during the convention.
Anti-choice convention speaker Cissie Graham Lynch and First Lady Melania Trump also suggested in their speeches that the pandemic had taken place in the past.
Ashley Moretz, director of rural healthcare at the Utah Department of Health, tweeted that shutting down USAID's task force "won't make Covid-19 go away."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A federal task force fighting the spread of the coronavirus around the world will disband on Wednesday amid efforts by the Trump administration to treat the Covid-19 pandemic as an event that is firmly in the past.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced Tuesday it will discontinue its coronavirus pandemic task force, shifting responsibilities back to bureaus and offices within the agency.
USAID will establish a "Readiness Unit" after the task force is deactivated,Politico reported, but the unit is "not a substitute" for the coordinated work done by the task force over the past six months, according to the outlet's foreign affairs reporter, Nahal Toosi.
The task force will disband as the worldwide death toll approaches 900,000 and the total confirmed cases surpasses 27.3 million.
Several developing countries have seen the pandemic grow more severe in recent weeks, including India, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Late last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned low-income countries could face a "lost decade" without help from wealthier countries, including guaranteed access to medical supplies and protection of medical supply chains.
The task force has sent thousands of ventilators to countries including Colombia, South Africa, and India in recent months, as well as coordinated with local governments, NGOs, and other organizations to help communities in more than 120 countries combat the spread of the coronavirus. The agency has committed more than $1.6 billion to help improve public health education and increase local governments' ability to rapidly respond to outbreaks.
Politico reported that some at USAID believe the dismantling of the task force will lead to "greater dysfunction" as the agency tries to mitigate the global spread of Covid-19.
The Trump administration, looking ahead to the November general election, has made a concerted effort since the pandemic began to downplay the public health crisis. Last month at the Republican National Convention, administration leaders referred to the pandemic in the past tense.
Larry Kudlow, a top economic adviser to the president, told voters the pandemic "was awful" when it was going on but suggested several times that it was resolved, even as the U.S. reported about 1,000 deaths per day from Covid-19 and its complications during the convention.
Anti-choice convention speaker Cissie Graham Lynch and First Lady Melania Trump also suggested in their speeches that the pandemic had taken place in the past.
Ashley Moretz, director of rural healthcare at the Utah Department of Health, tweeted that shutting down USAID's task force "won't make Covid-19 go away."
A federal task force fighting the spread of the coronavirus around the world will disband on Wednesday amid efforts by the Trump administration to treat the Covid-19 pandemic as an event that is firmly in the past.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced Tuesday it will discontinue its coronavirus pandemic task force, shifting responsibilities back to bureaus and offices within the agency.
USAID will establish a "Readiness Unit" after the task force is deactivated,Politico reported, but the unit is "not a substitute" for the coordinated work done by the task force over the past six months, according to the outlet's foreign affairs reporter, Nahal Toosi.
The task force will disband as the worldwide death toll approaches 900,000 and the total confirmed cases surpasses 27.3 million.
Several developing countries have seen the pandemic grow more severe in recent weeks, including India, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Late last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned low-income countries could face a "lost decade" without help from wealthier countries, including guaranteed access to medical supplies and protection of medical supply chains.
The task force has sent thousands of ventilators to countries including Colombia, South Africa, and India in recent months, as well as coordinated with local governments, NGOs, and other organizations to help communities in more than 120 countries combat the spread of the coronavirus. The agency has committed more than $1.6 billion to help improve public health education and increase local governments' ability to rapidly respond to outbreaks.
Politico reported that some at USAID believe the dismantling of the task force will lead to "greater dysfunction" as the agency tries to mitigate the global spread of Covid-19.
The Trump administration, looking ahead to the November general election, has made a concerted effort since the pandemic began to downplay the public health crisis. Last month at the Republican National Convention, administration leaders referred to the pandemic in the past tense.
Larry Kudlow, a top economic adviser to the president, told voters the pandemic "was awful" when it was going on but suggested several times that it was resolved, even as the U.S. reported about 1,000 deaths per day from Covid-19 and its complications during the convention.
Anti-choice convention speaker Cissie Graham Lynch and First Lady Melania Trump also suggested in their speeches that the pandemic had taken place in the past.
Ashley Moretz, director of rural healthcare at the Utah Department of Health, tweeted that shutting down USAID's task force "won't make Covid-19 go away."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy