According to reports, more than three quarters of programs that are directly funded and administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have been cancelled as of Monday, by Secretary of State of State Marco Rubio.
The former senator announced the Trump administration’s plan to clean up the corruption in government institutions and drain the swamp once and for all.
Breitbart reports:
The decision came after a six week review of the programs, Rubio set out, citing their funding as antithetical to the core interests of the United States:
After a 6 week review we are officially cancelling 83% of the programs at USAID.
The 5200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States.
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.
Thank you to DOGE and our hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform.
Last month, the Trump administration announced that USAID direct staffers not deemed essential were put on leave, while others were placed on “administrative leave” or let go entirely.
Employees were also informed that USAID “was beginning a reduction in force that would eliminate 2,000 U.S.-based jobs.”
The layoffs of thousands of employees from USAID come after a Trump-appointed judge ruled that if the Trump administration “deems it necessary to place thousands of workers on leave in order to review U.S.-backed foreign assistance,” they are allowed to do that.
In fiscal year 2023, USAID disbursed $72bn of aid worldwide courtesy of funds provided by U.S. taxpayers on everything from “gender-affirming health care in Guatemala, teaching people in Kazakhstan to fight back against Internet trolls, voluntary male circumcisions in Mozambique, and creating work opportunities for young LGBTQI+ people in Serbia” to name just a few.
United States taxpayers have also sent more than $3 billion to Mexico since 2008 to combat the drug cartels that have mercilessly flooded illicit narcotics, including fentanyl, into the country.
Yet, despite the billions of tax dollars spent, the cartels have only grown stronger. It is well beyond time to look into the money being spent.