Trump scraps over 80 per cent of USAID programmes

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has scrapped no fewer than 80 percent of all the programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, following a six-week review.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed this on Monday in an X post from his account.

“The 5,200 contracts that are now canceled 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,” Rubio said.

Rubio stated that the remaining approximately 1,000 programs would now be administered more effectively under the State Department and in consultation with Congress.

Recall that Trump returned to office on January 20 and immediately ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid, pending a review of whether the programs align with his “America First” foreign policy.

The order and ensuing stop-work orders reportedly threw USAID into turmoil, halting the agency’s operations around the world, jeopardizing the delivery of life-saving food and medical aid, and throwing global humanitarian relief efforts into chaos.

The administration said it provided waivers for life-saving aid, but humanitarian workers around the world stated that the funding remained shut.

Thousands of staff were put on leave or fired, and contractors were terminated.

The majority of those put on leave are reportedly not expected to be reinstated.