Columbia News

Senator Eric Schmitt, a U.S. Senator from Missouri, posted a series of tweets on July 16, 2025, criticizing the allocation of U.S. foreign aid funds to various international projects.

In one tweet, Schmitt listed several funded initiatives: "• $4.4 million for the Melanesian Youth Climate Corps • $2.2 million to reduce “xenophobia” towards Venezuelan migrants • $2.5 million to teach kids how to make environmentally friendly reproductive health decisions This isn’t foreign aid—it’s a slush fund for woke projects." (July 16, 2025).

He continued in another post: "Your tax dollars funded: • $18 million for gender diversity in the Mexican street lighting industry • $3 million for Iraqi Sesame Street • $4 million for 'sedentary migrants' in Colombia • $2.4 million to make disaster aid more considerate of 'gender identity'" (July 16, 2025).

In a third tweet on the same day, Schmitt wrote: "When it comes to foreign aid, instead of advancing American interests, leftists are committed to using YOUR taxpayer dollars to push their radical agenda overseas." (July 16, 2025).

Senator Schmitt has previously expressed concerns about federal spending priorities and has often criticized what he describes as ideologically driven allocations of government resources.

Foreign aid programs administered by the United States have historically included funding for a wide range of initiatives abroad—such as public health campaigns, education programs, and infrastructure development—intended both to advance humanitarian goals and support broader diplomatic objectives.