The Trump administration is considering merging USAID into the State Department, aligning foreign aid spending with its “America First” policy. Elon Musk, leading Trump’s federal cost-cutting drive, called USAID a “criminal organization”, as critics warn of global humanitarian risks.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the country’s main foreign aid body, may be merged into the State Department under a major restructuring plan by President Donald Trump. The move is part of a broader effort to reduce federal spending and reshape U.S. foreign policy.
Trump has tasked Elon Musk, the billionaire overseeing the administration’s government efficiency drive, to lead the project. On Sunday, Trump criticized USAID, calling it “run by radical lunatics,” while Musk claimed, without evidence, that the agency was “a criminal organization.”
Founded in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy, USAID administers 60% of U.S. foreign assistance, disbursing $43.79 billion in 2023. It operates in about 130 countries, focusing on poverty reduction, humanitarian aid, and economic development.
Top recipients of USAID assistance in 2023 included Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria. The agency is funded by Congress, with budget requests submitted by the administration.
In 2023, the U.S. allocated $72 billion in foreign aid, accounting for 42% of all global humanitarian aid. Historically, U.S. aid spending was around 0.33% of GDP, far below Cold War-era levels, where it reached 3% during the Marshall Plan.
Despite leading in total dollar contributions, the U.S. ranks among the lowest in foreign aid as a percentage of national income, contributing just 0.24% in 2023—lagging behind Norway (1.09%), and multiple European nations.
Foreign aid has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan backing, though Republicans have often pushed for reductions. Trump previously attempted to cut foreign aid by one-third, but those efforts were blocked by Congress.
In June 2024, 80% of the Republican-led House of Representatives rejected a proposal to eliminate foreign aid from the 2025 budget, signaling continued support despite Trump's opposition.
Trump’s January 20 executive order paused most foreign aid for 90 days, claiming the U.S. aid system is “not aligned with American interests.” His administration has warned USAID workers against resisting the restructuring, threatening disciplinary action for noncompliance.
The move has raised alarm among humanitarian organizations, the United Nations, and foreign governments, as USAID plays a critical role in food security, health programs, and crisis response.
A source familiar with USAID operations warned that folding the agency into the State Department would limit humanitarian assistance, especially in countries without diplomatic ties to the U.S., such as Iran and North Korea.
As Trump pushes forward with restructuring, concerns grow over the future of U.S. humanitarian influence and global development efforts.
The 'CIDC 2025 – Critical Infrastructure Defence Challenge' cybersecurity festival is being held on 9–10 October at the Baku Congress Centre, join...
Leaders across the world have welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal brokered under U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, calling it a criti...
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war...
Russia’s central bank has ruled the state violated minority shareholders’ rights in seized assets, signalling rare pushback against nationalisatio...
A newly elected German mayor survived multiple stab wounds in a family attack....
The 'CIDC 2025 – Critical Infrastructure Defence Challenge' cybersecurity festival is being held on 9–10 October at the Baku Congress Centre, jointly organised by the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Leaders across the world have welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal brokered under U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, calling it a critical first step but warning that full implementation is essential.
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 people and reshaped the Middle East.
In the wake of the October European Union summit in Copenhagen, Europe’s security architecture seems to be entering a new phase.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Russia’s central bank has ruled the state violated minority shareholders’ rights in seized assets, signalling rare pushback against nationalisation.
A newly elected German mayor survived multiple stab wounds in a family attack.
Cristiano Ronaldo has become football’s first billionaire player, according to Bloomberg, which tracks the world’s richest individuals.
Germany has ended its fast-track citizenship programme, reflecting a shift in public attitudes toward migration and integration.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of the U.S.-proposed Gaza deal, which will see the release of all Israeli hostages, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment