Today at 18:34
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the closure of 83% of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs following a six-week review.
Rubio shared this information on X (Twitter).
According to him, 5,200 contracts, now being canceled, had “cost tens of billions of dollars.” He stated that these funds were spent “not in the interests of the U.S.”
“After consultations with Congress, we intend for the remaining programs (about 1,000) that we are keeping to be managed more effectively by the State Department,” Rubio noted.
He thanked the Government Efficiency Department, “who worked very hard to achieve this overdue and historic reform.”
Earlier, on February 7, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that corruption within USAID had “reached an unprecedented level,” and therefore, the agency needed to be dismantled.
Recently, Trump’s team hinted that they are considering lawsuits against USAID employees and grant recipients over suspicions of misusing foreign aid funds.
Read also: Trump Says U.S. Has “Almost” Restored Intelligence Sharing with Ukraine
