The USA Agency for International Development has ceased its activity. The official announcement was made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, mentioning that American aid will be directed in a limited manner in the future, according to IPN citing Reuters.
“We will favor those nations that have demonstrated both the ability and the desire to help themselves, and we will direct our resources to areas where they can have a multiplier effect and can accelerate a sustainable private sector, including American companies, and global investments,” Marco Rubio mentioned.
The Trump administration, shortly after taking office, froze and then cut billions of dollars in foreign aid, justifying the decision by stating it wanted to ensure that American taxpayers’ money went only towards programs that were aligned with Donald Trump’s “America First” policies.
The measures led to the dismissal of thousands of its employees and contractors. This jeopardized the provision of life-saving food and medical aid, and threw global humanitarian aid operations into chaos.
According to a study published by The Lancet medical journal, drastic cuts to USAID funding and its abolition could lead to over 14 million additional deaths by the year 2030.
Human rights experts and activists have warned against the cuts. USAID funding has played a crucial role in improving global health, primarily targeting low and middle-income countries, especially African nations, according to the study.
USAID was established in 1961 by then President John F. Kennedy, during the Cold War, with the aim of better coordinating foreign aid, a key platform of US foreign policy in countering Soviet influence.
Washington was the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor, accounting for at least 38% of the total contributions recorded by the UN. In 2024, it disbursed 61 billion dollars in foreign aid, just over half of this amount through USAID, according to US government data.
