WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Monday that the Trump administration has concluded its elimination of programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been operating for six decades. He stated that the remaining 18% of aid and development programs would be transferred to the State Department.
Rubio’s announcement was made via a post on X, marking one of his few public statements regarding the significant shift away from U.S. foreign aid and development. This shift was implemented by Trump’s political appointees at the State Department and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) teams.
In his post, Rubio expressed gratitude to DOGE and the “hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform” in foreign aid.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on January 20, directing a freeze on foreign assistance funding and a review of all U.S. aid and development initiatives abroad, which amounted to tens of billions of dollars. Trump argued that much of this foreign assistance was wasteful and promoted a liberal agenda.
Rubio’s social media post on Monday indicated that the review was “officially ending,” with approximately 5,200 of USAID’s 6,200 programs being terminated.
Rubio wrote that these eliminated programs “spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States.”
He stated, “In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping … to be administered more effectively under the State Department.” However, Democratic lawmakers and others are contesting the legality of shutting down programs funded by Congress, asserting that such actions necessitate congressional approval.
Earlier in the month, the State Department, amidst multiple lawsuits concerning the rapid shutdown of USAID, stated that it was terminating over 90% of USAID programs. Rubio did not provide an explanation for the discrepancy in the numbers, nor did he offer details on the programs that were spared or how the State Department would manage them.
The dismantling of USAID following Trump’s order disrupted decades of policy that held humanitarian and development aid abroad bolstered U.S. national security by fostering stability in regions and economies, reinforcing alliances, and cultivating goodwill.
In the weeks following Trump’s order, Pete Marocco, an appointee and transition team member, along with Musk, removed USAID staff worldwide through forced leaves and firings, halted USAID payments abruptly, and terminated thousands of aid and development contracts.
Contractors and staff involved in efforts ranging from epidemic control to famine prevention to job and democracy training ceased their work. Aid organizations and other USAID partners laid off tens of thousands of employees both in the U.S. and internationally.
Lawsuits filed by nonprofit groups and businesses that had partnered with USAID allege that the contract terminations, carried out through form letters, eliminated even programs that Rubio had expressed interest in preserving, violated contract terms, and left aid groups and businesses owed billions of dollars.
The shutdown has left numerous USAID staffers and contractors, along with their families, stranded overseas, awaiting U.S.-paid back payments and funds for their return travel.
