The US is officially closing 83% of USAID programs, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported.
5 200 contracts that are now being canceled cost “tens of billions of dollars” and were allegedly of no benefit and harm to the United States. The remaining USAID programs that are not being canceled will now be managed more effectively by the State Department.
USAID is the worldʼs largest donor. In fiscal year 2023, the United States provided $72 billion in assistance worldwide. The agency was founded in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy. It provides billions of dollars each year to end poverty, treat disease, and respond to famine and natural disasters, as well as to build and develop democracy by supporting non-governmental organizations, independent media, and social initiatives.
On January 20, inauguration day, the US President Donald Trump froze USAID initiatives for 90 days. After that, the Agencyʼs employees began to be placed on administrative leave without pay.
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