BREAKING: US Says Team On Way To Quake-Hit Myanmar, Defends Pace

The United States said Monday it has dispatched a disaster relief team to Myanmar days after a major earthquake, defending the pace of the deployment following President Donald Trump’s dismantling of America’s main overseas aid agency.

The United States has announced $2 million in support to aid organizations on the ground in Myanmar, where the earthquake death toll has surpassed 2,000.

“A US aid team of humanitarian experts based in the region are traveling to Burma now to identify the people’s most pressing needs, including emergency shelter, food, medical needs and access to water,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters, using Myanmar’s old name.

The earthquake struck Friday, on the same day that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was formally dissolving the US Agency for International Development (USAID), arguing that the “gains were too few and the costs were too high,” after cutting more than 80 percent of its projects.

China, Russia and India have already sent teams to Myanmar. Historically the United States, under the guidance of USAID, has swiftly dispatched rescue teams and relief around the world following earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Asked if the US response was slower than usual, Bruce said: “I would reject the notion that this is obviously a result of the USAID cuts and that kind of funding. There are many different elements to this dynamic.”

She did not elaborate but said that the United States “finally” had a formal request from Myanmar, whose military-run government is under heavy sanctions by Washington.

She also said that the $2 million was going directly to organizations already on the ground.

In 2008, when Myanmar was also under military rule and hit by a devastating cyclone, the US military managed to air-lift in 1.1 million pounds (500,000 kg) of relief goods.

Myanmar’s junta has long been close to China. The United States had sought to gain influence in Myanmar as it transitioned to democracy, but the opening abruptly ended in February 2021 when the military toppled the civilian leadership.

AFP