The State Department formally notified Congress on March 28 that it is dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and transferring some of its functions under its jurisdiction.
According to the notification, the agency, which has been central to U.S. foreign aid efforts, will be disbanded by July 1.
The move effectively ends USAID, a multibillion-dollar agency tasked with fighting global poverty and hunger. The decision to shutter an agency created by Congress without legislative input is expected to spark legal challenges. Critics warn that eliminating USAID could undermine humanitarian efforts, while the Trump administration has accused the agency of mismanaging taxpayer funds and supporting overseas programs that do not align with U.S. interests.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has systematically gutted USAID, halting nearly all foreign aid programs pending review, firing thousands of employees, and canceling billions of dollars in aid contracts.
Daria Shulzhenko
Nearly all of the remaining 900 employees are being terminated. The cuts have triggered lawsuits from aid groups and staff members, some of whom were forced to return home from overseas assignments without reimbursement.
USAID was a primary target of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is implementing deep cuts across federal agencies. In a message to USAID employees obtained by CNN, Jeremy Lewin, a DOGE liaison and senior USAID official, defended the decision, saying it would "significantly enhance efficiency, accountability, uniformity, and strategic impact" in foreign aid efforts. He confirmed that most non-statutory positions at USAID will be eliminated, with employees receiving reduction-in-force notices starting March 28.
Some USAID programs, including humanitarian assistance, global health efforts, strategic investment, and limited national security projects, will be absorbed by the State Department’s regional bureaus, according to the congressional notification.
However, other functions deemed redundant will be cut entirely. The restructuring has faced significant pushback from career officials, with one senior USAID official placed on leave after blaming Trump appointees for crippling the government’s ability to carry out life-saving humanitarian missions.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
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