The company’s work ought to align with the “nationwide curiosity and overseas coverage” of the US, the secretary of state has mentioned
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio introduced on Monday that he has assumed the position of appearing administrator of the US Company for Worldwide Improvement (USAID). Earlier within the day, it was reported within the US media that the company had closed its headquarters.
President Donald Trump has accused the company’s management of being “radical lunatics” and proposed main modifications to the group. USAID additionally discovered itself below scrutiny by the newly created Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has develop into an in depth advisor to Trump.
“I’m the appearing director of USAID,” the highest US diplomat informed journalists in El Salvador. He additionally mentioned he had handed over day-to-day duties of working the company to a staffer however didn’t establish that individual.
“This isn’t about ending the packages that USAID does, per se,” Rubio said, including that a few of them have been “good” however others raised “sturdy questions.” He additionally maintained that “the whole lot” that USAID does “needs to be in alignment with the nationwide curiosity and the overseas coverage of america.” He didn’t elaborate on any particular modifications he may wish to make inside the company.
He earlier said {that a} program-by-program evaluation could be carried out to find out which of them make “America safer, stronger or extra affluent.”
Musk had beforehand claimed that Trump had “agreed” to close down the company altogether. The president additionally branded it a “prison group” that he believes was financing bioweapons analysis, together with initiatives that allegedly led to the emergence of Covid-19.
Established in 1961, USAID is a soft-power company that distributes billions of {dollars} annually to initiatives that promote US pursuits world wide below the premise of humanitarian growth. Final week, Trump halted all its packages for 90 days and ordered them to be reviewed on a case-by-case foundation. In line with Rubio, the transfer led to “much more cooperation” from the recipients of US help.
The company’s web site went darkish and its account on the social media platform X, which is owned by Musk, disappeared over the weekend. On Monday, USAID additionally reportedly closed its principal workplace in Washington, DC, and informed personnel to avoid it.
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