August 12, 1986 was the day Ronald Reagan said the 9 most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
Today there are 9 more words that should strike terror in the hearts of taxpayers -
“We’re from an NGO and we’re here to help.”
NGOs: Non-Governmental Organizations. They’re typically non-profits operating – supposedly – independently of the government, usually to address a social or political issue.
BUT - If I were Dictator for a Day – I’d start DEFUNDING some of these NGO’s.
Why? Because they’re being used as what amounts to cover in a money-laundering scheme by liberals to fund an open border! More on the insidious way that came about in a moment but first...
Some important background.
NGOs we all know:
Salvation Army and Goodwill are NGOs.
Lutheran Services and Samaritans Purse, United Way, the American Heart Association. All NGOs.
So are organizations like Planned Parenthood and Catholic Community Services. Both receive millions in federal dollars each year.
Some NGOs are doing good things.
But some are highly questionable.
Right now – lots of NGOs are on the southern border – apparently both sides of it – helping illegal migrants either get into the US illegally or assisting them once they have violated US law and are in our country.
Many – maybe all - are NGOs that are funded by you and me. Taxpayers. They get their money through government grants. But it’s not government money. Government doesn’t make money. You and I make money and pay taxes. So this is You and Me money. Yours and mine.
NGOs are receiving billions – with a B – billions in taxpayer dollars from you and me and millions of other tax-paying US citizens.
NGOs are financing the majority of the immigrants crossing our borders illegally and traveling to cities across America. They come here because they know they’ll be taken care of.
Under the Biden Administration countless NGOs have become the de facto travel agency of the Department of Homeland Security, thus hiding the true cost of the border crisis from the public.
The NGOs are paying for food, transportation and accommodations for illegal migrants.
That’s 3 hots and a cot and a bus or plane to take you where you want to go. All the stuff you need most when you DON’T HAVE A JOB and what you’re really up to is coming to the US for FREE STUFF or to further your career as a professional criminal.
Why come here if you’re a criminal? It’s like American gangster “Slick Willie” Sutton said. Sutton was asked why he robbed banks and he infamously replied - uh, because “...that’s where the money is.” ???
So when you’ve already robbed your country blind – come to America.
It’s where the money is and it’s where the NGOs are here to help.
There’s an old political dictum: any time you want to push an unpopular bill – wrap it in the mantle of a holy cause. And that’s how many of these NGOs are operating.
They’re not always advertising their intent.
They’re working under cover of seemingly innocuous names like Catholic Charities USA –
Let’s dissect that – Catholic – it’s a religious organization. Can’t be too bad if they believe in God. Assumes morality.
Catholic Charities – Charity is a good thing. Help the downtrodden. Give someone or some family a hand or a leg up.
Catholic Charities USA – Ah – a good old American organization.
What could possibly go wrong?
We see it on the news every day. Cities like New York, Chicago and others are overloaded with illegal immigrants. Crime is soaring. New York reports 64% of crimes are being perpetrated by Non-US Citizens. Foreign criminals are pulling off more crimes than our own criminals.
It’s a battle being waged against US citizens in American cities by our own tax dollars.
Forbes reports Catholic Charities USA received $1.4 BILLION dollars in taxpayer funding. You and Me Money.
And there’s more.
NGO Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (at least it has an honest name). It reported more than $93 million in taxpayer grants in 2021 – that was more than 80% of its total support. You and Me Money.
NGO Church World Services reports more than 40% of its assets - $20 million – comes from taxpayers.
Remember – they’re using this money for food, shelter, bus and plane tickets for millions of illegal immigrants who are paying nothing in taxes while they live off your tax dollars and chew up US infrastructure.
Republican lawmakers would like to defund the groups – by cutting off money from the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS?
OH YEA – Not only is DHS NOT securing the border – they’re one of the agencies paying NGOs to help criminals cross over the border.
The Department of Homeland Security’s own Office of Inspector General says $110 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan was misspent by nonprofits on migrants encountered at the southern border.
Some American rescue plan! More like the Illegal Immigrant Rescue Plan!
Worse - In some cases the money was reportedly given to GOTAWAYS - illegal immigrants who were busy evading the Border Patrol.... but not so busy they couldn’t take a handout of You and Me funds to augment their survival, evasion and escape plans.
Here’s how it works, according to Fox News:
“The report outlines how the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded $110 million in humanitarian relief funds appropriated under ARPA to ‘provide services to families and individuals encountered by DHS in communities most impacted by the humanitarian crisis at the Southwest border.’"
Notice how the report doesn’t call them immigrants. They refer to them as “...families and individuals encountered by DHS...”
The report goes on....
“The office found that the money was not always used consistently with guidelines, that organizations did not provide required receipts and documentation and that some did not provide supporting documentation for those to whom it gave services. It determined that 18 groups that received $66 million in funding did not always comply with funding and application guidance.
“Organizations were required to maintain documents related to costs, migrants served each day, expenses incurred and proof of payment for purchases. In one sample, the IG said 58% of the amount reviewed was missing documentation.
“Additionally, it determined some of those migrants did not have a DHS encounter record, meaning they were "gotaway" illegal immigrants who had evaded Border Patrol agents instead of turning themselves in after crossing illegally.”
Essentially, they were playing fast and loose and probably illegally with our taxpayer dollars. They are, after all, aiding and abetting individuals whose first act was entering the country illegally.
“The IG said that of the 824 names it tested as a sample, 197, or 24%, were ineligible to receive humanitarian services, and 154 did not have an encounter record.”
Remember now, NGOs are not just getting millions of federal dollars. (You and Me Funding.) They’re getting Billions. That’s Billions with a B.
I have a feeling this NGO problem we’re hearing about is just the tip of the iceberg.
And remember it was an iceberg the Titanic ran into.
NewsNation recently quoted a former DHS Advisor under President Obama as saying it’s almost impossible to track how many NGOs are along the southwest border.
Why are so many NGOs doing this?
What’s the common thread here?
I believe it’s a simple two-step process.
STEP 1 - A lot – but not all – federal employees are Democrats.
How do we know? Follow the money. And history.
In 2018 the Washington Post analyzed 2018 Federal Election Commission data and found federal employees typically vote Democrat – with percentages in 2018 averaging about 60-80 percent in departments like Treasury, Justice, Agriculture and Homeland Security.
It gets worse.
The Baltimore Sun reported in 2021 that the American Federation of Government Employees (AFSCME) gave 95.6 % of their donations to Democrats. Other unions gave even more.
In 2024 OpenSecrets.org reported the AFSCME percentage was even higher: 99.79 percent of all union member donations went to Democrats.
STEP 2 - The NGOs apply for grant money from the feds. Millions and billions of dollars worth.
And who eventually determines which NGOs get the grants? Your money and my money? The Feds. And most of them are .... Democrats!
To me the question is WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT GIVING MY MONEY TO CHARITIES?
I might be going out on a limb when I say this but I’d say every NGO that’s bellied up to the taxpayer trough at the southern border is working against America – helping poor illegal immigrants who become criminals the instant they step across what’s left of the US Border.
First stop an NGO and try not to get spotted by the Border Patrol if you’re a career criminal, terrorist, rapist or drug dealer.
How do I know this?
Anecdotal evidence: Where are the NGOs standing at the southern border telling illegal immigrants to “Go back – go back!” There aren’t any.
Where are the NGOs offering illegal immigrants plane tickets to fly back to their country of origin? There aren’t any.
Where are the NGOs working in foreign countries to keep residents of those countries from becoming illegal aliens? Oh yea – There aren’t any.
Under the Biden Administration, NGOs have become the de facto travel agency for illegal immigrants in the US – at taxpayer expense. They’re not even keeping records of the money spent. Which leads one to wonder, what else is the money being spent on?
So, If I were Dictator for a Day, I’d outlaw the government giving our money to NGOs. Because it’s a one-sided deal. The NGOs are at the border working against America.
Hey – for those of you who know me personally, do I look like a Democrat?
Because I’m thinking of starting an NGO.
If you enjoyed this column listen to the Podcast version with Sounder, Ronald Reagan, Ned DoGood and Slick Willie Sutton.
You can find it here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/dictatorforaday/p/defund-the-ngos?
And please Like this and send links to your friends!
Great info. Will keep listening for more!