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From CBS News: USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, will be merged into the State Department with significant cuts in the workforce, but it will remain a humanitarian aid entity, three U.S. officials told CBS News.
Officials in President Trump’s administration are expected to announce the moves in the coming days. Discussions about the extent of the funding reductions remained fluid on Monday.
Mr. Trump made Secretary of State Marco Rubio the acting administrator of USAID, sources said, and Rubio himself soon confirmed it to reporters traveling with him in El Salvador. ABC News earlier reported his status as chief. Rubio said he has designated his acting authority to handle day-to-day responsibilities to someone else, although he didn’t say whom.
USAID, one of the largest foreign aid agencies in the world, spent over $40 billion in U.S. taxpayer money in fiscal year 2023, and has a $50 billion budget. According to the Washington Post, the top recipients of USAID funding included Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.
Musk explained Monday morning, “It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm it in. What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair. We’re shutting it down.”
Slamming the wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars at USAID, Rubio told reporters Monday, “Every dollar we spend will be aligned with the national interest of the United States. USAID has a history of ignoring that and deciding that they’re a global charity. These are not donor dollars, these are taxpayer dollars. We owe the American people assurances that every dollar we are spending abroad is being spent on something that furthers our national interest.”
WATCH BELOW as Rubio blasts USAID and confirms he is now acting administrator of the agency:
Pure fire from new acting director of USAID Marco Rubio:
“Every dollar we spend will be aligned with the national interest of the United States. USAID has a history of ignoring that and deciding that they’re a global charity. These are not donor dollars, these are taxpayer… pic.twitter.com/a0aTtgoiw6
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 3, 2025
“USAID was a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America,” Musk said on Sunday.
USAID was a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America https://t.co/0xKxmN5Pss
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 2, 2025
BREAKING: USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, will be merged into the State Department with significant cuts in the workforce, but it will remain a humanitarian aid entity. https://t.co/C24skTeV7d
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 3, 2025
BOOM: Trump admin locks out staffers of foreign aid agency as Musk vows to shut it down
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