Are we still a shining city on a hill?

The phrase “shining city on a hill” is a well-known metaphor used to describe a nation that is a beacon of hope and a model for the world. It originated in 1630 in a sermon by John Winthrop describing the Massachusetts Bay colony, but it was popularized by President Reagan in the 1980s to describe the United States.

It is true that the United States leads all countries in the world in Gross National Product. Gross National Product is a measure of the total economic output of a country, including the value of all goods and services produced by the residents and businesses. It is one way to determine the richest countries in the world. Here were the top four in 2024:

United States$29.167 trillion

China$18.273 trillion

Germany$ 4.710 trillion

Japan$ 4.070 trillion

It is also true that the United States has historically been generous in aiding struggling nations. It began with United States aid to Ireland during the Great Famine of 1845-1852. In more recent years, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been the primary U.S. agency that manages foreign aid and development assistance.

USAID works to end extreme global poverty, extend health care, respond to disasters, assist in environmental matters, and help democratic societies to realize their potential. In recent years, USAID has managed about $40 billion annually in combined appropriations. The total annual United States federal government spending for 2024 (FY) was about $6.8 trillion. So the percentage of the federal budget set aside for USAID for 2024 was about one half of one per cent of federal spending.

According to Forbes magazine, in fiscal 2023, USAID provided aid to 130 countries with Ukraine the biggest recipient. Many African and Middle Eastern countries also received significant assistance from USAID. The agency’s work has consistently received bipartisan support since it was established in 1961.

Still, USAID was one of the first government agencies to come under attack by Elon Musk and DOGE. The results have been devastating. An Associated Press World News story on May 15 was headlined: “Children die as USAID cuts snap a lifeline for the world’s most malnourished.” The story pointed out that, before the DOGE cuts, 50% of the therapeutic foods for treating malnutrition globally were funded by USAID.

Shawn Parker, chief program officer at Helen Keller Int’l (a highly regarded U. S. based nonprofit focused on combating blindness and malnutrition globally) and former chief nutritionist at USAID, predicted that the consequence of the DOGE cuts to USAID could be 1 million children each year not receiving treatment for severe malnutrition resulting in 163,500 additional deaths per year.

Dr. Atul Guwande, an American surgeon, writer, and Harvard faculty member, is the former assistant administrator for global health at USAID. Speaking from Africa on a May 21 MSNBC broadcast, Guwande estimated that 50,000 African children have already died from malnutrition and another 100,000 children have died from pneumonia and diarrhea, all because of the DOGE cuts to USAID food and health aid. Meanwhile, tons of lifesaving food rots in warehouses because funds to deliver it have been cut off.

Kate Phillips-Barrasso is the Mercy Corps (another highly respected nonprofit humanitarian aid organization) vice president for policy and advocacy. She said that 40 of its 62 U.S. funded programs with the potential to reach 3.5 million people in Nigeria, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Lebanon, and Gaza with humanitarian aid have been terminated.

Why would Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, decide to cut off lifesaving assistance to the poorest people on the planet? Why would Donald Trump, the President of the richest country on the planet, agree to those cuts? Why would U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and Sen Joni Ernst smile and express their total support for the DOGE cuts?

The agonizing pain experienced by children as they slowly starve to death. The agony of moms and dads watching helplessly as their children die. The powerless feelings of health care workers who no longer have the medicines to save lives.

What has the “shining city on a hill” become?

Ralph Plagman is a retired educator, having worked as a teacher and administrator in Cedar Rapids Schools for nearly 50 years.