The Trump administration has taken formal steps to close the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a move that has sparked widespread criticism over its impact on global humanitarian efforts.
In a statement on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department and USAID had notified Congress of their intent to restructure the agency. By July 1, 2025, key USAID functions will be transferred to the State Department, while others will be discontinued entirely.
“Unfortunately, USAID strayed from its original mission long ago,” Rubio said, justifying the administration’s decision by claiming the agency’s costs outweighed its benefits.
This follows a series of aggressive foreign aid cuts by President Trump, who had already frozen U.S. foreign assistance for 90 days upon taking office in January. While some humanitarian aid programs received exemptions, many USAID initiatives suffered drastic reductions.
The decision to dismantle USAID has been met with outrage from Senate Democrats on the Committee on Foreign Relations, who condemned the reorganization as “illegal, dangerous, and inefficient.”
“This move will cripple remaining aid programs and overwhelm the State Department,” they warned, emphasizing the agency’s critical role in global humanitarian relief.
Prior to its closure, USAID managed an annual budget of nearly $43 billion—more than 40% of the world’s humanitarian aid. Reports indicate that most agency staff were placed on administrative leave shortly after Trump took office, and a memo issued on Friday confirmed that all non-essential positions would soon be eliminated.
With USAID’s independent operations expected to wind down in the coming months, critics fear the decision could weaken U.S. diplomatic influence and humanitarian efforts worldwide.
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