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’I was in-charge of making Taliban trans’: Republican lawmaker takes a swipe at Trump govt amid USAID funding freeze
US Representative Mike Collins criticized the Trump administration after a global aid freeze led to chaos at USAID.
US Representative Mike Collins took a swipe at the Donald Trump administration this week as a global aid freeze sparked chaos. USAID has been one of the agencies hardest hit as the new administration and Elon Musk’s budget-cutting team target federal programs they say are wasteful or not aligned with a conservative agenda.
“I got laid off at USAID today. I was in charge of making the Taliban trans. Was really starting to make headway too,” Collins jibed.
Staffers around the world were left scrambling for answers this week after a sudden Trump administration order yanking almost all of them off the job and out of the field. Many are now starting to pack up households or pull their children from school without any clarity about their next steps. While the US government asked such workers to return home within the next 30 days no clear mechanism has been outlined for the same.
The remark is the latest in a series of controversial posts made by the politician in recent weeks as his own party leads a shocking wave of changes. The post on X appeared to be referring to claims that US aid to Afghanistan has been used to fund the Taliban. The more specific jibe about 'making them trans' appeared to be a nod to recent remarks by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. She had recently complained that USAID paid for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Leavitt also falsely claimed that the agency had paid for a “transgender opera” in Colombia to underscore her point.
What is the ‘I got laid off from USAID’ trend?
Collins joins a recent social media trend that addresses the ongoing funding freeze with increasingly ridiculous claims. The ‘trend’ which emerged this week amid the USAID crackdown sees users claim that they had been laid off from the organisation and explain their (extremely crucial) and somewhat odd roles.
“I got laid off from USAID today. I was in charge of teaching ISIS about inclusive language. We were on the brink of replacing “infidel” with “spiritually unique person,” joked one user.
“Bad news. I got laid off from USAID today. I was teaching Venezuelan trans women of color how to spin wool for non binary sheep farmers. We were going to change the world together,” rued another.
“I got laid off at USAID today. I was in charge of DEI within ISIS. Was really starting to make headway too,” revealed a third.
“I got laid off at USAID today. I was in charge of increasing representation of Black and LGBTQ folks in Hamas Islamic Resistance Movement. DOGE and Elon Musk cancelled the last aid for a drag show in West Bank. No one voted for this,” echoed a fourth.
“I too was laid off today from USAID. My job was to set up tents so Hamas could make propaganda videos,” said a fifth.
“I got laid off at USAID today. I was in charge of organizing drag shows for children in Kabul. I’m utterly heartbroken, these are such great people worthy of our support,” added another X user.
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Business NewsNewsUs News’I was in-charge of making Taliban trans’: Republican lawmaker takes a swipe at Trump govt amid USAID funding freeze
First Published:6 Feb 2025, 05:57 PM IST
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