Search Results - USAID

United States Agency for International Development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to unite several foreign assistance organizations and programs under one agency, statute law places USAID under "the direct authority and policy guidance of the Secretary of State". The Trump administration is attempting to shut it down, pending court cases and approval by Congress. The Trump administration plans to transfer some, but not all, of USAID's functions to the State Department by July 1, 2025.

USAID has implemented programs in global health, disaster relief, socioeconomic development, environmental protection, democratic governance and education. With average annual disbursements of about $23 billion since 2001, USAID has been one of the world's largest aid agencies and accounts for most U.S. foreign assistancethe highest in the world in absolute dollar terms. USAID has missions in over 100 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

USAID has faced scrutiny over its role in political operations of influence abroad and potential conflicts of interest. In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14169 directing a near-total freeze on foreign aid, followed in February by placing most employees on administrative leave. The absence of authorization from Congress led to lawsuits against the Trump administration. In February, the administration, the Department of Government Efficiency and Elon Musk made several false or misleading allegations of wasteful spending and fraud. On March 28, 2025, the Trump administration announced that it would fully put USAID under the State Department and would reduce its staff to 15 statutorily required positions down from a total of roughly 10,000 positions, effectively eliminating the agency in all but name. However, court cases are pending and the Trump administration stated “pending congressional consultations” at the time of the March 28 announcement. Provided by Wikipedia