The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan brags that between 2003 and 2023, the United States provided “more than $32 billion in direct support to the people of Pakistan,” a figure that does not appear to include much of the military support that successive U.S. administrations gave Pakistan as it sheltered Al Qaeda and helped train the Taliban.
While the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) so far focuses its review of U.S. foreign assistance on USAID, it should not omit direct assistance where waste, fraud, and abuse actively assist U.S. enemies.
Total accumulated U.S. support for Pakistan is huge, equal to twice the annual budget of San Francisco. That represents waste.
What makes the U.S. investment in Pakistan even more counterproductive is the fact that Pakistani debt to China over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is about $30 billion.
Pakistan has no hope to recoup that money; its weak economy, corruption, unstable political system, corrupted judiciary, and general anti-Americanism make it a poor recipient of direct private investment.
Money is fungible, however, and so whatever money the United States gives Pakistan simply enables Islamabad to pay off Beijing.
During his previous administration, President Donald Trump cut off $2 billion in military aid to Pakistan; this was wise, as such assistance enriched those engaged in a conspiracy to murder U.S. servicemen in Afghanistan, if not Americans elsewhere.
Pakistani officials, of course, tell gullible Westerners that they are committed to the war against extremism because Islamist extremists and militants have killed thousands of Pakistanis. This may be true, but it is akin to the arsonist complaining that he got burned after a shift in the wind.
Pakistan is an extreme example, but it is not the only one. Between 2000 and 2018, the Democratic Republic of Congo took $2.4 billion in loans from China; the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, meanwhile, brags that the United States gives Congo more than $1 billion annually.
Much of that money again benefits China.
Critics of USAID cuts are right on one thing: USAID represents only a tiny fraction of the problem. These critics then argue that saving by cutting USAID bloat is so miniscule as to not be worth it. This is a flawed argument as the government should not knowingly waste any taxpayer money.
The fact that U.S. assistance to Pakistan equates to Pakistani debt to China is a problem that the Trump administration and DOGE auditors should no longer ignore.
About the Author: Dr. Michael Rubin
Dr. Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum. He is also a 19FortyFive Contributing Editor. The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own.
Jim
March 10, 2025 at 6:35 pm
Just so.
Pakistan is a double dealing country… some call it vector diplomacy… but it’s hardly diplomacy, mostly graft, self-enrichment, and conniving in one way or the other, they’ll play all sides in Pakistan, anything for a buck.
… they’ll talk you out of your shoes if you let them.
Does Pakistan have value to the United States?
Certainly, that’s the conventional wisdom in Washington.
Paying money to Pakistan who then pays China whatever is left after the local cut by Pakistani officials is a bum deal.
Sadly, our influence with Pakistan only goes so far as the money goes… after the money is gone, there is no more.
Gobbler
March 10, 2025 at 7:55 pm
Congratulations, China!
You won Pakistan.
Enjoy.