The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to effectively shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This move formalizes a widely criticized effort to drastically reduce foreign aid.
According to a report by the Times of Israel on Friday, March 28, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in a press release that the State Department and USAID had informed Congress of their intention to reorganize the agency. He mentioned that by July 1, certain USAID functions would be merged with other departments, while others that are “not aligned with the administration’s priorities” would be discontinued.
Rubio argued that USAID had long deviated from its original mission, resulting in high costs with minimal benefits.
Earlier this year, in January, after assuming office for his second term, Trump signed an executive order suspending U.S. foreign aid for 90 days.
Before the closure announcement, USAID managed an annual budget of approximately $43 billion, providing over 40% of the world’s humanitarian aid. Shortly after Trump’s re-election, most USAID employees were placed on administrative leave.
Several U.S. media outlets reported that on Friday, USAID employees were informed about the plan to eliminate all non-essential positions as per legal requirements.
In an internal memo, Jeremy Lewin, the acting head of USAID, confirmed that the State Department plans to shut down most of USAID’s independent operations in the coming months.