While most of the fallout from the destruction of USAID will be felt abroad, journalists who were formerly funded by the agency say that the cuts are likely to enable organized crime and corruption abroad, which ultimately impact everyday Americans.
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project is among the largest international investigative journalism outfits, and up until a few weeks ago, the project received significant funding from USAID. The group’s reporting has been involved with some of the biggest international corruption stories in recent memory, including the Panama Papers, the Paradise Papers and the Russian Laundromat.
