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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that he is now the acting director of USAID.
Some shit you should know before you read: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the federal agency responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance, established in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy. With an annual budget typically ranging between $20 billion and $30 billion, USAID funds programs in global health, economic development, humanitarian relief, and “democracy” promotion. Supporters argue that the agency strengthens US global influence by fostering stability, improving public health, and providing disaster relief, which in turn advances national security and diplomatic interests. Critics, particularly from conservative circles, argue that USAID is inefficient, wasteful, and overly politicized, often funding projects that do not directly benefit US interests.
What’s going on now: While speaking to reporters in El Salvador, Secretary Rubio confirmed that he is now the acting director of USAID, and said that the agency must align with US foreign policy and the national interest. He criticized USAID as “a completely unresponsive agency” and argued that taxpayer dollars should not fund what he described as a global charity detached from American priorities.
Rubio acknowledged that some of USAID’s programs would continue but emphasized that all aid efforts must be reevaluated to ensure they serve US strategic goals. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and a key Trump ally, revealed that President Trump had agreed to dismantle USAID entirely, citing concerns that the agency was partisan and wasteful. Musk went further, calling USAID “a radical-left political psy-op,” backing the administration’s narrative that the agency has long operated without sufficient oversight.
This all comes as employees were told to work remotely, and thousands of contractors lost access to their systems overnight. The agency’s website and social media accounts have also gone dark, with a limited page now appearing under the State Department’s website.
