Over 80% of USAID programs CANCELED, the rest transferred to State Department

By lauraharris // 2025-03-16

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also acting USAID administrator, announced that 83 percent of USAID programs will be canceled after a six-week review, with the remaining 17 percent transferred to the State Department for administration.
Over 5,200 contracts, deemed wasteful or harmful to U.S. interests, were voided, saving an estimated $58.4 billion. This includes high-profile programs like diversity scholarships in Burma and environmental investments in Africa.
Rubio framed the cuts as necessary to eliminate inefficiency and misuse of funds, with plans to integrate USAID's remaining functions into the State Department and potentially abolish the rest of the agency.
Critics argue that dismantling USAID, a key player in global humanitarian efforts, will undermine U.S. efforts to combat poverty, disease and promote democracy worldwide.
DOGE published a list of terminated contracts and Rubio emphasized that the remaining programs will be administered more effectively under the State Department, in consultation with Congress.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has revealed that 83 percent of its programs will be canceled following a six-week review. The remaining programs will be transferred to the Department of State for administration.http://trump.news According to Rubio, 5,200 contracts, which "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," had been voided. This decision follows a court filing last month by the Trump administration, which revealed that 5,800 of 6,200 multiyear USAID contracts – more than 93 percent – were slated for termination, along with 4,100 of 9,100 State Department grants. The administration estimated the cuts would save $58.4 billion. (Related: USAID's nefarious activities go beyond foreign aid corruption.) The court filing indicated that Rubio had "made a final decision concerning each award, on an individualized basis, affirmatively electing to either retain the award or terminate." Meanwhile, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which oversees federal spending, has published a list of hundreds of terminated contracts on its website. Among the canceled programs are a $4 million engineering services contract in Liberia, a $1.1 million online climate change tool, a $4 million project to assess primary education in Kenya and a $10 million safety support initiative in Bangladesh. Prior to the cuts, the Trump administration had publicly flagged concerns with several high-profile programs, including $45 million for diversity, equity and inclusion scholarships in Burma, $520 million for environmental, social and governance investments in Africa and $20 million for an Iraqi version of "Sesame Street." "In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18 percent of programs we are keeping (approximately 1000) to now be administered more effectively under the State Department. Thank you to DOGE and our hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform," Rubio posted on his personal account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Rubio: Reorganization is necessary to eliminate inefficiency and misuse of funds

USAID, an independent agency established in 1961, has long been a cornerstone of U.S. global humanitarian efforts, disbursing billions of dollars annually to combat poverty, treat diseases, respond to natural disasters and promote democracy and development. In line with this, critics argue that the administration's decision to dismantle the agency and consolidate its functions under the State Department will severely undermine these efforts. However, Rubio, who assumed oversight of USAID in early February, has framed the reorganization as a necessary step to eliminate inefficiency and misuse of funds. In a letter to Congress last month, he indicated that USAID's remaining functions could be integrated into the State Department, with the rest of the agency potentially abolished. "USAID may move, reorganize and integrate certain missions, bureaus and offices into the State Department, and the remainder of the agency may be abolished consistent with applicable law," Rubio wrote in a letter to Capitol Hill at the time. Visit BigGovernment.news for more stories about corruption at the USAID. Watch the video below where a GOP congressman praised Musk for doing the right thing in closing USAID.

This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com.

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Rubio: Reorganization is necessary to eliminate inefficiency and misuse of funds

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