US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will be fully dissolved by July 1st. Some of the organization’s functions, which have been criticized for interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and coordinating violent regime changes, will be taken over by the State Department by the deadline. Others that do not align with the administration’s goals will be discontinued, Rubio stated. The majority of USAID employees will be let go.
Unfortunately, the agency strayed from its original mission a long time ago, the Secretary of State said. It is thanks to President Donald Trump that this misguided and fiscally irresponsible era is coming to an end.
Earlier in February, the newly elected US President froze the budget for USAID and its partners, leading to a wave of lawsuits. In some cases, plaintiffs were successful, as federal judges ordered the frozen funds to be released to the agency’s contractors. The US Supreme Court later confirmed one of these decisions.
The future of the organization, which has caused harm in some countries with its regime-change activities but has also done good in others, remains to be seen.