US Secretary of State announces cancellation of 83% of USAID programs
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (GettyImages)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that after the review, the US government decided to cancel 83% of USAID programs. This includes the cancellation of 5,200 contracts.
After a detailed review and consultation with Congress, the US government is officially canceling 83% of USAID programs. This means canceling 5,200 contracts that have spent tens of billions of dollars on projects. According to him, they do not meet the national interests of the country and in some cases even caused harm.
“In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping (approximately 1000) to now be administered more effectively under the State Department,” the US Secretary of State said.
The remaining programs, about 1,000, will be managed by the State Department. Rubio emphasized that the reform was supported by DOGE and the staff who worked to implement this belated change.
USAID in Ukraine
After his inauguration, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that effectively froze international aid programs for 90 days. The programs were to be reviewed to see if they were in line with the Trump administration's political goals.
The US Department of State also issued a directive that halts international aid and suspends new programs, which affected some humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clarified that this decision of the State Department does not apply to military aid to Ukraine.
According to the Financial Times, diplomats have asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make an exception for USAID in Ukraine under the executive order suspending foreign aid.
