Democratic Senator defends USAID allegedly financing the Sesame Street Street in Iraq to teach ‘Value’
Delaware Senator Chris Coons agreed with host CNN -A Michael Smerconish that funded a Show “Sesame Street” in Iraq It could be a good use of taxpayers’ financing to teach “values” to Iraqi children.
On Saturday, Smerconish commented on his show on the title of reports that the US International Development Agency (USAID) gave $ 20 million to Nomofite organization Sesame Workshop for making a “Ahlan Simsim Iraq” in an effort to “promote involvement, mutual respect and understanding Through ethnic, religious and sectative groups.
He asked Coons and his viewers if they believe that it could be an effective use of “soft power” despite dealing with a return reaction of conservative legislators.
“This is not just funding for children’s play for children, millions of children in countries like Iraq,” Coons said. “It is a show that helps teach values, help teach public health, helps prevent children from dying of dysentery and illness and helps suppress values such as cooperation, peace, collaboration in a society where ISIS, extremism and terrorism is an alternative.”
Senator Chris Coons gave his opinion on CNN’s “Smerconish” on Saturday. (CNN screenshot)
He continued, “and according to your point, these are the penny on the dollar. The US Ministry of Defense has an annual budget of about $ 850 billion. USAID spent about $ 30 billion. This is a small part of our total federal consumption. And as AS [political scientist Joseph Nye] He would often say, it’s not just a soft power, it’s a smart power. “
It seems that Smerconish defended the funds for the show while surveying the viewers for their opinion.
“Nye himself said, in the short term, hard power usually tries to make soft power, but long-term effects can be the opposite. Or, as the caller of my radio program Sirius XM said yesterday, to whom would you rather teach Iraqi children? Great? Bird or al- Qaeda?
USAID was accused of giving $ 20 million for the Sesame Workshop for the program in Iraq. (Getty Images)
At the end of his show, Smerconish revealed that 72% of his spectators supported taxpayers who finance the international series. He claimed that political controversy had probably originated in “sound policy” and not from the program itself.
“Does it make a better political question than I said at the beginning of the program? No, because it took me five minutes to explain what that program in Iraq for ‘Sesame Street’, teaching children to wash their hands and not hate America,” said Smerconish. “And as I said to Chris Coons, you know, it’s a Soundbite World in which we live, it is far easier to be rejected and said, can you imagine spending all that money on the filling of empty, EV cars in Vietnam?”
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Iraqi children’s show was one of several examples of Elon Musk, the Government Efficiency Department (Doge), accused the agency wasteful spending and abuse.
Elon Musk, Doge and Trump’s administration were targeting USAID for wasteful consumption and abuse. (Getty Images)
Although Doge and Trump’s administration aimed to extinguish the agency as a result and A federal judge blocked The efforts of President Donald Trump leave thousands of workers on Friday.
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Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
