The Trump administration on Friday moved to formally dissolve the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The executive branch is notifying Congress that USAID functions will either be transferred to the State Department or terminated if they do not align with President Trump’s policies.
Some USAID responsibilities are set to be reassigned to the State Department by July 1. Employees were informed on Friday that their positions would be eliminated in July and September, according to multiple reports.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the move, stating, “We are continuing essential lifesaving programs and making strategic investments that strengthen our partners and our own country.” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said foreign assistance programs would be reoriented to prioritize the interests of the U.S. and its citizens.
Bruce noted it was uncertain whether all foreign service officers would lose their jobs and clarified that the changes had not impacted the ability to deploy the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team.
Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that dissolving USAID without congressional input violated the constitutional authority of Congress, which created the agency.
Bruce said USAID has kept a disaster response team ready following destructive earthquakes in Myanmar and Thailand on Friday, although no formal requests for assistance had been made as of the afternoon. “We are ready to move now,” Bruce said. “There has been no impact on our ability to perform those duties, those requests for aid if and when they do come in.”
