Significant Reduction of US Foreign Aid Agency USAID... Integration into the State Department

Rubio: "I Will Serve as Acting Head...A Completely Uncooperative Agency"

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a foreign aid organization targeted for closure under the second term of the Donald Trump administration, is expected to be significantly downsized as an organization under the State Department.

On the 3rd (local time), according to Bloomberg News and others, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Rubio, who is touring Latin America, told reporters in El Salvador that he would concurrently serve as acting head of USAID and plans to entrust the day-to-day operations of USAID to the working-level staff for the time being.

On the 3rd (local time), security personnel are patrolling the USAID lobby, where employee access is prohibited. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Secretary Rubio criticized USAID as a "completely uncooperative agency," stating that it has taken an attitude for years that is unrelated to national interests.

He added, "In many cases, USAID acts contrary to what we do according to our national strategy," and pointed out, "USAID is not an independent non-governmental organization (NGO). It needs to act according to the national interests of the United States."

However, he said, "This does not mean ending USAID's programs," and that USAID will be directed by the State Department.

In this regard, a White House official said, "There is a discussion about significantly reducing the number of USAID employees for efficiency and integrating USAID into the State Department to ensure spending aligns with the president's agenda," adding, "President Trump has tasked Musk (head of the Department of Government Efficiency) with overseeing USAID's efficiency."

According to the Associated Press, most of the staff at USAID headquarters in Washington, D.C. received an email on the day instructing them not to come to the office. Two government officials tried to enter the USAID office that day but were stopped by security personnel who said, "The office is open, but you cannot enter."

Uniformed Department of Homeland Security personnel guarded the USAID headquarters lobby, and a yellow tape with the phrase "Authorized Personnel Only" was installed in the building's lobby to control access.

Earlier, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced that President Trump also agreed to the closure of USAID.

On the previous day, Musk shared a post on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter) stating that USAID officials were suspended for physically blocking DOGE's system access, writing, "USAID is a criminal organization. Now is the time for it to die." In a live discussion on X with Republican Senator Joni Ernst (Iowa) and others, he said he is working to close USAID and that President Trump agrees.

On the same day, President Trump told reporters that USAID had been "run by some radical lunatics" and said, "We will kick them out."

The USAID website was suddenly shut down on the 1st without prior notice or explanation.

As a result, there is speculation that USAID may be the first government organization to be closed under the second term of the Trump administration.

USAID has overseen U.S. international aid by providing humanitarian and development assistance to other countries in the form of funding to NGOs, foreign governments, international organizations, and other U.S. agencies. It has about 10,000 employees and an annual budget of $42.8 billion. It was established as a separate independent agency under the Foreign Assistance Act during the John F. Kennedy administration in 1961.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.