Dems Freak Out Over USAID Closing

[Airman 1st Class Nicholas Byers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

The headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, D.C., was abruptly closed to employees on Monday, as confirmed by internal communications and multiple sources. The sudden shutdown follows intensified scrutiny of the agency under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new oversight initiative led by Elon Musk with strong backing from President Donald Trump.

Several USAID staff members reported being locked out of agency computer systems overnight, while those still logged in received an email stating that “at the direction of Agency leadership,” the headquarters would be inaccessible on February 3. Further signaling a dramatic shift, USAID’s official website went offline over the weekend, raising concerns about the agency’s operational future, according to a report by The Associated Press.

The move signaled a shift in control over the American agency that has been accused of being a tool of the “deep state,” with some accusing the agency of going against American foreign policy.

Democrats panicked at the news of their favorite slush fund being reorganized.

The White House laid out why they were reforming the agency.

According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the agency will be placed under State Department control, explained CBS News.

USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, will be merged into the State Department with significant cuts in the workforce, but it will remain a humanitarian aid entity, three U.S. officials told CBS News.

Mr. Trump made Secretary of State Marco Rubio the acting administrator of USAID, sources said, and Rubio himself soon confirmed it to reporters traveling with him in El Salvador. ABC News earlier reported his status as chief. Rubio said in a letter to congressional leaders that he has authorized Peter Marocco, director of foreign assistance at State, to perform the duties of deputy administrator of USAID and to begin a “review and potential reorganization of USAID’s activities to maximize efficiency and align operations.”

USAID oversees humanitarian, development and security programs in about 120 countries around the world. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, USAID “provides assistance to strategically important countries and countries in conflict; leads U.S. efforts to alleviate poverty, disease, and humanitarian need; and assists U.S. commercial interests by supporting developing countries’ economic growth.”

Rubio told reporters that U.S. tax dollars need to further U.S. national interests, and “USAID has a history of sort of ignoring that and deciding that they’re somehow a global charity.”

“While Rubio said he is officially the acting administrator of USAID, he said he has ‘delegated authority to perform the duties’ to Peter Marocco, a returning political appointee from the first Trump term.

Rubio said there are things that USAID does ‘that we should continue to do and we will continue to do. But everything they do has to be in alignment with the national interest and the foreign policy of the United States,'” NPR reported.

USAID was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to lead American foreign aid efforts, consolidating various aid programs into a single agency. Its creation marked a shift toward long-term development assistance, focusing on economic growth, humanitarian relief, and democratic governance. During the Cold War, USAID played a strategic role in countering Soviet influence by fostering development in allied nations.

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