Democrat Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett went on a tirade Tuesday about why Americans must spend their taxpayer dollars on a “Sesame Street” program in Iraq.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in February over its misuse of taxpayer dollars, including its funding of a “Sesame Street” program for children in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. Crockett claimed during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that USAID must fund the children’s television program at the American taxpayers’ expense because it stops other countries from being “radicalized” against the U.S.
“[When] we start to talk about whether or not ‘Sesame Street’ or anything else that’s on NPR or PBS ends up in other places, this is so there is not this warped thought process about the western world or the United States. We’re talking about making sure that we don’t end up allowing people to be radicalized against us because they have a terrible vision of us because they maybe in a government that actually puts out bad, terrible propaganda about us,” Crockett said.
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Along with “Sesame Workshop,” USAID coproduced Ahlan Simsim, which is Arabic for “Welcome Sesame,” which was “designed to promote inclusion, mutual respect, and understanding.” Crockett failed to explain how a “Sesame Street” program will prevent Middle Easterners from obtaining “terrible propaganda” against the U.S.
USAID also handed billions of dollars to foreign aid and left-wing initiatives, including $68 billion of foreign aid in 2023, which mainly went to Ukraine. The agency sent 65.5 million condoms, 9.8 million injectable birth control products and 334,000 IUDs abroad in fiscal year 2022 in its effort to facilitate family planning. The agency further sent $2 million to Guatemala to help organizations perform sex change operations.
Democrats raged against the dismantling of USAID and against Elon Musk, who oversaw DOGE at the time. Without evidence, Crockett claimed during a Thursday appearance on the “Let’s Be Clear” podcast that cutting USAID could pave the way for another 9/11-style attack.
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