The fight over America’s main foreign aid agency has suddenly become front-page news, with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk pushing to shut it down while Democrats argue they can’t. Here’s what you need to know about USAID and the brewing battle over its future:
What is USAID?
- Created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to help counter Soviet influence
- America’s main agency for delivering humanitarian aid worldwide
- Manages about $40 billion in aid programs across 130 countries
- Provides everything from food aid during disasters to HIV clinics in Africa
- Currently represents less than 1% of the federal budget
- Provided 40% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the U.N. last year
Key players in the current fight:
Donald Trump
- Says the agency is run by “radical lunatics”
- Has frozen billions in foreign aid programs
- Criticizes the agency as wasteful and off-mission
Elon Musk
- Leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
- Calls USAID “a criminal organization” that’s “beyond repair”
- Claims Trump has agreed to shut down the agency
- Recently clashed with agency officials over access to classified materials
Marco Rubio
- Now serving as acting USAID director
- Says the agency isn’t following White House and State Department directives
- Wants to align foreign aid with “national interests”
Democratic opposition
- Led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Gerry Connolly
- Argues only Congress can shut down USAID
- Claims the shutdown attempt is illegal
- Suggests Musk is ignoring Pentagon waste due to his defense contracts
What’s already happening:
- USAID headquarters in Washington is closed to staff
- Thousands of aid programs worldwide are frozen
- Senior officials have been put on leave
- Thousands of contractors have been laid off
- Agency’s website and social media accounts are down
What’s at stake:
- Humanitarian programs in dozens of countries
- U.S. influence abroad as China expands its own aid programs
- Lives dependent on U.S.-funded health and food programs
- Billions in approved aid currently on hold
- America’s role as the world’s largest aid provider
What’s next: The fight appears headed for a legal showdown over whether a president can close an agency created by Congress. Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations warn that millions of people worldwide could lose access to vital aid and medical care.
Read more:
• How USAID grew from war relief to a global humanitarian mission
• Democrats dismiss Elon Musk-led push to shut down USAID as ’plainly illegal’
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes the role of acting director of USAID
• Elon Musk: Donald Trump ’agreed’ to shutter USAID
• What is USAID? Explaining the U.S. foreign aid agency and why Trump and Musk want to end it
This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Ann Wog, Managing Editor for Digital, at awog@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
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