Child Mortality and USAID

Childhood mortality worldwide has been reduced 43 percent in the past thirty years. USAID played a big role in this achievement.

Phyllis Lamken
P.O. Box 586
Victor, ID 83455
208-313-7641
Fax: 208-787-2036
pal@lamkenlaw.com

To: Honorable James Risch

Fax: 202-224-2573

Why has USAID been shut down? I certainly didn’t see any legislation shutting down the agency. Oh, wait, a non-government employee, Elon (it wasn’t a Nazi salute) Musk shut down one of our nation’s most essential and effective foreign policy agencies. The employees are barred from the building. Yesterday, a group of rightly angry and outraged members of Congress were barred from the building.

In the past thirty years, the greatest reduction in childhood mortality rates was achieved. In 1990, 12.6 million children under the age of five died annually. In 2017, 2.5 million children under the age of five died. That is an 43 percent decrease. There is nothing comparable in the centuries prior to these three decades. This is a major achievement and the United States through USAID was a major player in the success of reducing childhood mortality.

As your constituent, I expect you to take action. I expect you to be outraged.

Your failure to speak out against this outrage violates your oath of office.

Thank you
Phyllis Lamken

Fighting Against Fascism Feb. 3, 2025

Call me stupid, call me naive, but I expect my congressional delegation to fight for freedom. It has been less than a month, but the treasonous felon has engaged in a shock and awe assault on the constitution, rule of law, and our economy. The control of our nation’s finances by Elon Musk is insane. He has not been elected. He does not head a government agency. Yet he has control of our payor system. I sent the following fax to my Senators:

To: Honorable James Risch
Fax: 202-224-2573

It is impossible to reach my Senators in Washington. Instead, I get a garbled voicemail. Did Elon Musk seize the Capitol’s phone lines? Being a former bar member, I assume you have a passing acquaintance with the US Constitution. But please consider Article II, Section 2 of the highest law of the land:” and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law.” DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, has not been created by Congress, Elon Musk has not been approved to head any governmental agency. There has been no security clearance for DOGE and its employees. So why does he, his computer systems, and staff have access to my personal information and that of most of my family? This is a national security breach of unprecedented, cataclysmic magnitude. His computers should be seized, his employees at DOGE arrested, and he needs to be stopped from further interference with the US government. He should not have access to our computer systems.

Have you forgotten your oath of office? Let me remind you.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

You need to stop goose-stepping to the demands of the treasonous felon that 77 million morons voted into office. He was elected president. But he needs to comply with the law.

In Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, the power to lay and collect taxes, impost, and excises rests with Congress, not the president. In addition, the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations is a Congressional power. While Article II, allows the president to negotiate treaties but two-thirds of the Senate must approve. The Senate did approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. This is US law! So why is the treasonous felon imposing tariffs on our two most significant trade partners?

The entire concept of the balance of powers was the expectation each branch would do its duty and rein in abuses of power. Senators were expected to put the country before power and party.

You need to quit goose-stepping to the demands of a malignant narcissist who is trying to destroy our democracy, the integrity of our government institutions, our most powerful foreign alliances, and our economy.

Thank you
Phyllis Lamken