Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) while the Trump administration considers the agency’s future.
Rubio informed reporters traveling with him in El Salvador that he had been appointed acting director of USAID, which has provided humanitarian and development aid around the world for decades.
“There are a lot of functions of USAID that are going to continue, that are going to be part of American foreign policy, but it has to be aligned with American foreign policy,” Rubio told CNN.
It is unclear whether the move will be legally challenged. Late last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) declared that any attempt to dissolve USAID would be “illegal and against our national interests.”
On Monday, President Trump dismissed the suggestion that abolishing USAID would necessitate a congressional act.
“I do not think so. Not when it comes to fraud. If there is fraud. These people are insane. And, if it comes to fraud, there would be no act of Congress, and I’m not sure you’d want one anyway,” Trump stated.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that USAID was run “by radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision.” The president had previously issued an executive order freezing foreign assistance.
In recent days, USAID’s website has been taken offline, and hundreds of contractors have been laid off as the agency’s future remains uncertain.
Elon Musk, a close Trump ally who has been appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, has been criticizing USAID on social media for days; on Monday, he referred to the agency as “a radical-left political psy op.”
Democrats and former diplomats have issued warnings against dismantling USAID. Those officials have emphasized the agency’s role in providing life-saving assistance around the world, as well as how that aid strengthens America’s global position.
“USAID helps strengthen our nation’s reputation, showcasing our power and values,” Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), who previously worked at the agency, wrote on the social media platform X. “Trump admin is now doing extraordinary damage to our reputation not just in trying to stop USAID’s work but by denigrating the mission of humanitarian and development assistance as a whole.”
“Their vindictive way of trying to shut down USAID sends signals all over the world that we are a nation at war with itself,” Kim told reporters. “It tells authoritarian adversaries that America is distracted and divided.”
