A US senator has criticised the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for spending $20mn on an Iraqi version of Sesame Street, among other projects she described as "wasteful and dangerous spending."

Senator Joni Ernst revealed on social media X platform that under the Biden administration, USAID granted $20mn to the non-profit organisation Sesame Workshop to produce "Ahlan Simsim Iraq," a show aimed at "promoting inclusion, mutual respect and understanding between ethnic, religious and sectarian groups."

USAID has played a pivotal role in supporting Iraq since 2003, following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, contributing to the support of official and unofficial institutions, civil society organisations and banks and providing large-scale school supplies such as bags and notebooks before moving to activate civil society more broadly. USAID was the world’s largest single donor, with the United States spending $72bn in fiscal year 2023 on areas such as women’s health, clean water, energy security, and anti-corruption.

"From funnelling tax dollars to risky research in Wuhan to sending Ukrainians to Paris Fashion Week, USAID is one of the worst offenders of waste in Washington… all around the world," Ernst said on February 6 on social media.

"As Iraq recovers from years of conflict, communities struggle to find a new sense of normalcy while physical and emotional wounds remain," an archived link to USAID's website previously read.

"The legacy of Iraq’s conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) left many children without a stable home or displaced, especially those from Iraq’s ethnic and religious minorities. Additionally, Iraqi youth, who make up over half of the population, are unable to find jobs in an economy strained by war and corruption, creating vulnerabilities to radicalization," the site previously wrote.

The programme consisted of live entertainment shows using Sesame Street characters and training workshops.

According to USAID's website, the project aimed to help Iraqi communities "find a new sense of normalcy" while dealing with the legacy of conflict with ISIS, particularly focusing on displaced children and ethnic and religious minorities.

"Iraqi youth, who make up more than half the population, are unable to find jobs in an economy strained by war and corruption, creating vulnerabilities to extremism," USAID's website stated before it was shut down this week following criticism from Technology Minister Elon Musk over the agency's spending.

In Iraq, the agency partnered with the National Bank of Iraq in 2024 to provide $1.65mn in financing to 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.

Earlier reports by Al-Sumaria News revealed that the programme involved content-creation workshops for youth across several Iraqi provinces to enhance artistic skills, which were conducted in cooperation with Iraqi youth, sports directorates, and government institutions.