BY SRH
It would be a lot easier to accept the spending if the Congo was putting all its resources into taking care of its people and still struggling to meet their needs.
So, it turns out that a recent report from the Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche has uncovered that the country’s officials are really going all out on their travel expenses. Did you hear that the Congo dropped around $488,000 for a six-night hotel stay at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland? That’s quite a hefty sum!
So, here’s the scoop: The Congo delegation went ahead and reserved “several dozen” rooms at the fancy five-star Hotel Quellenhof, even though there were just six official members in their group for the Forum.
The total comes to more than $81,000 for each night. The hotel calls itself “a haven of peace where you can take time for yourself and your loved ones” and promises to “make your holiday dreams come true.”
In 2023, Switzerland’s delegation faced criticism for spending $128,000 on a hotel for the World Economic Forum, which went against the country’s expense regulations, according to Die Weltwoche. The Congo, despite having way fewer resources, ended up spending nearly four times that amount.
Did you know that the Congo ranks among the 30 most corrupt countries globally, as reported by Transparency International? So, back in 2020 at the World Economic Forum, the country reserved 30 hotel rooms for nearly $16,000 but only ended up paying $4,000 before heading out of Switzerland, according to Die Weltwoche.
Check out all the salaries for federal, state, and local government jobs, as well as vendor spending, using the AI search bot, Benjamin, over at OpenTheBooks.com.
Last year, USAID provided funding for the Congo that covered a range of areas, including humanitarian assistance, healthcare, and initiatives focused on peace and security, among other things. The $1.3 billion came from the Department of Agriculture, the Department of State, and USAID, and everything is managed by USAID.
President Donald Trump put a stop to all foreign funding for a bit and decided to shut down USAID, telling federal employees to head back home from the Congo. A federal judge has blocked the funding freeze as of February 17.
It’s important to keep a close eye on foreign funding when USAID gets back to business. It’s not right for American taxpayers to help out governments that are using their citizens’ money on fancy resorts.
Today’s #WasteOfTheDay comes from the forensic auditors over at OpenTheBooks.com.
