Senator opposes Trump’s decision to stop funding ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq
Senator opposes Trump’s decision to stop funding ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq
2025-02-09 01:02
Shafaq News/ Democratic Senator Chris Coons defended the US government’s decision to spend $20 million on producing “Sesame Street” in Iraq, stressing the crucial role the program played in promoting public health and combating extremism among Iraqi children.
“This program is not just funding a children’s show,” Kunz said in press statements. “Millions of people in countries like Iraq benefit from this program because it helps teach values, it helps teach public health, and it helps prevent children from dying from dysentery and disease.”
“Sesame Street is more than just an educational program,” said Coons, a senator. “It plays an important role in shaping peaceful behaviors and fostering cooperation in a society struggling with violence and instability.”
He added that programs such as “Sesame Street” provide an alternative to extremist messages, especially in areas where groups such as ISIS have previously gained influence.
The Democratic senator concluded his speech by saying: “This show teaches values such as cooperation, peace and cooperation in a society where the alternative is ISIS extremism and terrorism.”
USAID has played a pivotal role in supporting Iraq since 2003, following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, helping to support formal and informal institutions, civil society organizations, and banks, and providing large-scale school supplies such as bags and notebooks, before moving to activating civil society more broadly.
USAID is the world’s largest single donor, with the United States spending $72 billion in fiscal year 2023 on areas such as women’s health, clean water, energy security, and anti-corruption.
In Iraq, the agency partnered with the National Bank of Iraq in 2024 to provide $1.65 million in financing for small and medium-sized enterprises, and launched a project to support more than 18,000 Iraqis. It also supported 25 commercial projects in the Iraqi capital through the “Baghdad Makers” initiative.
In November 2024, the agency announced a $20 million investment in collaboration with UNICEF to improve water and sanitation services in five Iraqi governorates, positively impacting the lives of 2.5 million people, including the most vulnerable groups.
In August 2024, the Agency provided $2.2 million to the World Food Programme to support 41,000 displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
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