Trump admin taps refugee bureau to lead global crisis response

The U.S. State Department has handed over international disaster response duties to its refugee-focused bureau, sidelining USAID’s seasoned crisis teams.

The State Department office responsible for refugee affairs and reducing illegal migration will now lead the U.S. response to international disasters, according to excerpts from an internal cable reviewed by Reuters—a move that experts warn could prove problematic due to the office's limited experience and staffing.

The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) is taking over this role from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which has traditionally managed foreign disaster response. This shift is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to reduce the size of the federal government—an initiative that has been significantly driven by billionaire Elon Musk, according to the document.

USAID's dismantling has already had consequences. Experts cite the administration’s delayed and insufficient response to the powerful March 25 earthquake in Myanmar as an example.

The details are contained in an ALDAC cable—short for “All Diplomatic and Consular Posts”—distributed to U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions worldwide. Reuters was unable to determine the exact date the cable was issued.

Under the new directive, all U.S. diplomatic posts are instructed to coordinate with PRM regarding declarations of foreign disasters.

“With approval from PRM, based on established international disaster assistance criteria, up to $100,000 may be disbursed to support the initial response,” the cable states. “Further funding may be made available depending on humanitarian needs, in coordination with other State Department offices.”

The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A source familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the authenticity of the cable excerpts.

According to the source, only 20 of the approximately 525 disaster response experts previously employed by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and its Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Relief will be transferred to PRM—an amount the source described as wholly insufficient. Furthermore, the source noted that PRM’s leadership lacks the knowledge necessary to manage large-scale disaster operations.

“They simply don’t understand disaster response,” the source said.

“It’s absurd,” commented Jeremy Konyndyk, former director of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Relief and current president of Refugees International. “PRM plays a vital role, but operational disaster response is not part of their mandate.”

Historically, the U.S. has been able to rapidly deploy elite response teams to crises such as tsunamis and earthquakes. However, with PRM now in charge, that capability is in jeopardy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed criticism of the U.S. response to the Myanmar earthquake, citing the challenging conditions posed by the country’s military junta and asserting that the U.S. continues to be the largest contributor of international aid.

Konyndyk, however, expressed concern that as the Caribbean hurricane season approaches, the U.S. will no longer be able to field its world-renowned Disaster Assistance Response Teams.

“PRM can’t replicate the systems and logistics that make DARTs effective,” he said. “They’re essentially trying to build a Potemkin version of DART.”

The restructuring of USAID under the Trump administration has resulted in the dismissal of thousands of contractors, the administrative leave of most of the agency’s 10,000 staff—many facing permanent termination—and the cancellation of billions of dollars’ worth of life-saving programs serving tens of millions worldwide.

One excerpt of the cable mentions that in future overseas disaster scenarios, PRM may call upon what remains of USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance to help deliver an effective and timely response.

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