The dismantling of USAID under the Trump administration has sent shockwaves through Washington, but a new controversy surrounding one of the agency’s senior officials is now adding a partisan twist to the story.
Nick Enrich, the USAID Global Health Acting Assistant Administrator, was placed on administrative leave after sending out a scathing memo attacking the Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts and accusing officials of creating “obstacles” to funding global programs. His memo comes as Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—led by Elon Musk—has eliminated more than 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts, slashing $60 billion from America’s foreign assistance budget.
Enrich claimed that these cuts would “undermine U.S. leadership, weaken global stability, and increase long-term costs.” He even suggested that an unknown number of deaths could be attributed to the loss of USAID funding—a statement that was quickly seized upon by Democrats as evidence of the administration’s supposed recklessness.
But now, Enrich’s own political bias is under scrutiny.
Federal election records reviewed by Breitbart News reveal that Enrich made 23 donations to ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s leading fundraising platform, between 2019 and 2020.
His contributions—totaling over $400—went directly to Elizabeth Warren’s failed presidential campaign, Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign against Trump, and Democratic Senate candidates like Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
Meanwhile, according to OpenPayrolls, Enrich was pulling in $171,000 per year as a USAID program manager—80.2% higher than the national average for government employees.
So, was his memo truly a warning about global stability, or was it a political stunt to undermine Trump’s reforms?
Despite the clear political connections, Democrats and mainstream media outlets have rushed to praise Enrich, framing him as a whistleblower exposing the “human costs” of Trump’s foreign aid rollback.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), one of Trump’s most vocal critics on foreign policy, described the memo as confirmation of “our worst fears.”
“These new details confirm our worst fears: the illegal and systematic dismantling of USAID will cause real suffering and deaths that are entirely preventable,” Schatz stated.
Of course, what Schatz doesn’t mention is that USAID has long been a bloated bureaucracy riddled with wasteful spending and questionable financial transparency—something the Trump administration has aggressively moved to fix.
Under Trump, USAID has been effectively shuttered, with thousands of employees either laid off or placed on leave. The reasoning?
- Eliminating foreign aid waste – Much of USAID’s budget has historically funded projects with little oversight or measurable impact.
- Shifting the focus to domestic priorities – Instead of sending billions overseas, the administration is redirecting taxpayer dollars toward American infrastructure, defense, and domestic economic growth.
- Holding foreign governments accountable – Rather than handing out blank checks, Trump has pushed for reciprocal agreements where foreign nations contribute their fair share.
