USAID Programs Purged by Trump Administration

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the completion of a six-week purge of the United States — United States Agency for International Development (USAID) programs, initiated by an executive order from President Donald Trump on January 20. Approximately 5,200 of USAID's 6,200 programs, or 83%, have been eliminated, with the remaining 18% to be administered by the United States — United States Department of State. This historic shift away from U.S. foreign aid and development was executed by Trump political appointees at the United States — United States Department of State and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency teams, including Pete Marocco. The administration justified the cuts by claiming much of the foreign assistance was wasteful and did not serve U.S. national interests. Democratic lawmakers and aid groups have called the shutdown illegal and opaque, citing concerns about life-saving programs being terminated and billions of dollars owed to contractors. A federal judge, Amir Ali, issued a mixed order, preventing the administration from withholding congressionally approved foreign aid funds but declining to order the revival of canceled contracts, while mandating back payments to contractors.