Part of the problem comes from annual guidance that does not require State Department foreign service officers with China expertise stations in the region to review proposals for effectiveness or possible success. This was done, according to the GAO, “to avoid the perception that RCOs have a role in approving or rejecting proposals, which could ultimately impede [the expert’s] working relationships with posts.”

Translation. We didn’t want to hurt the feelings of the incompetent Humanities Majors we’ve been hiring.