With his second term underway, President Donald Trump has already taken bold steps to put America first and bring back the American dream that makes our country so prosperous. I lived the American dream here in Texas. My family immigrated legally to the United States when I was 6 years old, and I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, surrounded by the kinds of hardworking American families who make our country great. However, through the years, I’ve witnessed the promise of the American dream wilt away due to mismanagement and careless decision-making from elites in Washington.
Trump is right to reexamine our country’s ballooning bureaucracy and make much-needed reforms to ensure our taxpayer dollars are used wisely in service of programs that prioritize people’s safety and well-being rather than partisan issues. I hope he will undertake this same process to make sure U.S. international assistance continues to serve the interests of Americans.
We need to examine American international assistance programs with a fine-tooth comb to ensure we have an American international assistance apparatus that puts America first. As Trump has suggested, it’s time to get rid of ineffective programs that have grown out of control without delivering tangible results to the country.
At the same time, we must retain and repair the vital programs that do make an impact. America’s global engagement positions our country as the global leader on economic issues, military issues, and more. When we retreat, our foreign adversaries move in.
Rivals such as China, Russia, and North Korea are constantly vying for global influence and power. When they gain that power, they use it to expel critical American values — things such as freedom, democracy, and private markets. They promote their own interests at the expense of ours, and they make the world unsafe for America.
Used strategically, international assistance is a key way to make the world safe for American businesses, consumers, servicemen, and travelers. Creating strong relationships with foreign allies can open the door for American exports, especially for farmers and manufacturers, and improve the flow of critical resources American companies can only find abroad. This ensures that America sets the rules of the global economy and trade — not China or another economic rival.
American assistance doesn’t just strengthen our country against foreign nations. It also thwarts harmful actors on the global stage whose actions threaten the nation, actors such as terrorist groups, drug cartels, human traffickers, and more.
Living in Texas, I have become especially concerned with the rise of illegal immigration and human trafficking. Open borders and violent cartels have created a dangerous environment for vulnerable children.
With precision-driven international assistance, we can train highly skilled law enforcement forces in the south, secure our border, and root out the terrible actors who are taking advantage of young children. We can stop these problems before they reach our borders and help prevent the trafficking of innocent children who have fallen victim to terrorists and violent traffickers.
This is just one example of how we can use international assistance in service of American security, not foreign nonsense.
REVAMP US ASSISTANCE TO COUNTER CHINA
It’s not about spending more; it’s about spending strategically. Trump is smart to acknowledge this, and with his business background, he is certainly the right leader for the job.
We have an undeniable opportunity to remake the international aid apparatus into one that benefits the nation at every step of the way. Let’s take advantage of that opportunity and ensure we retain the global relationships we need to secure America’s position as the global superpower for years to come. By acting with precision, we can use international assistance to our benefit to counter our rivals and protect American interests across the globe.
Mayra Flores is an American politician who represented Texas’s 34th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2022 to 2023.