WASHINGTON, Aug 30: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has formally terminated the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), assigning the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to oversee the closure of the agency s offices thus saving tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.
The move is part of President Donald Trump s broader economic overhaul aimed at cutting government spending deemed unnecessary.
In a post on X, Rubio wrote I joked with @POTUS that I had four jobs. He told me to give one to my friend @RussVought47. So, I did.
Since January, we ve saved the taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. And with a small set of core programs moved over to the State Department, USAID is officially in close out mode. Russ is now at the helm to oversee the closeout of an agency that long ago went off the rails. Congrats, Russ.
For decades, USAID served as Washington s premier foreign aid agency, but it has often faced criticism from American conservatives of trying to promoting policies of the radical left by diverting billions and burdening the taxpayers as well as the treasury.
Multiple nations including Slovakia, Hungary, India, Brazil, China, Russia, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Bolivia, El Salvador, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Eritrea, Kenya, and Mexico have also accused USAID of using aid programs to influence domestic policies in line with US political ideologies.
In February, President Trump announced steep cuts in several structures of USAID, while Rubio later slashed its budget by 83% in March post a six-week audit.
USAID officially ceased its operations on July 1, though wasn t yet terminated amid investigations on aid programs for different countries. Some of these programs were transferred to the State Department s management which continued the disposal of those funds.
Since its closure, thousands of USAID employees have been dismissed or placed on leave, while billions of dollars in contracts have been frozen or cancelled.
The move has been heavily criticised in the country, with the administration now battling lawsuits from dismissed employees and NGOs opposing the shutdown.
(UNI)
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