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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Monday that the United States is terminating 83 per cent of its initiatives at the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January that called for a halt on all US foreign aid to allow his administration to evaluate international spending and eliminate programs that do not align with his “America First” policy.
“Following a six-week evaluation, we are officially discontinuing 83% of the programs at USAID,” Rubio stated on the social media platform X.
“The 5,200 contracts that are being canceled were responsible for spending tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not benefit, and in some instances even harmed, the fundamental national interests of the United States,” he continued.
USAID provides US humanitarian support worldwide, managing health and emergency initiatives in approximately 120 countries.
The State Department, which supervises USAID, declared on February 26 its plans to reduce 92 per cent of the agency’s program funding, targeting 5,800 grants for elimination.
On Monday, Rubio specifically expressed gratitude toward the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which billionaire Elon Musk is leading to reduce costs and eliminate jobs across government agencies.
Trump and his supporters have contended that foreign assistance is wasteful and does not serve US interests.
However, aid organisations argue that much of the assistance bolsters US interests by fostering stability and health abroad, and they caution that reducing aid puts vulnerable lives at risk.
