By Mark Kelly
I’ve always loved flags. There’s something special about the way a simple piece of fabric can so easily and recognizably represent an organization or a nation. A good flag tells you where you were, what you stood for, and whether you belonged.
Some of the proudest moments of my 17-year USAID career came from simply looking up at my nation’s flag, flying over our embassies or bases overseas.
I never paid much attention to the USAID flag that flew above the Reagan Building, on 14th Street NW. I saw it so often, it became mundane to me. The most recognizable symbols of USAID were the logos we placed around the world: on an agricultural co-op in Guatemala, a girls’ school in Afghanistan, a power station in northeast Syria, solar-powered health clinics across Africa, and thousands of others.
But I paid attention when that flag over the Reagan Building was taken down. Because flags are lowered when posts are abandoned; when a nation retreats.
RAISE THE USAID FLAG AGAIN
Over the past six days, 290 Americans have purchased USAID flags for their members of Congress. Help us reach our goal of 1,000 flags by buying a flag at https://givebutter.com/usaidflags
Buying USAID flags for your members of Congress is like writing them a letter they will see every day.
Buy an $8 USAID Flag for Your Senator
We’ll let your members know the flags are from you. You can specify who you want us to give your flags to on our donation form.
That is exactly what the dismantling of USAID represents. The United States is withdrawing from fights against disease, famine, instability, and ignorance, surrendering ground to those who seek to do us harm.
Despite all the misinformed talking points and ignorant lies, the stubborn facts show that USAID helped millions in other countries help themselves. Doing so, it made the world safer and more prosperous for us back home. It was never “charity.” It was always “America First.”
Some try to spin our retreat. A few even celebrate it. But the consequences are already becoming clear: lost influence, lost opportunities, and lives lost to problems we once worked to solve.
These losses are happening thousands of miles away, in places most Americans will never visit. But retreat has consequences, and eventually, many of them may find their way onto our shores.
I’m proud to be among those working to see this flag raised again.
When it is, I’ll know we’ve stopped retreating and are leading again.
Mark Kelly
Alliance for American Leadership interns in the Capitol Cafeteria. Join our team at the Capitol on July 21st.
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