Washington, D.C., March 11, 2025 – The Europe Today: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the completion of the Trump administration’s purge of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Rubio stated that following a six-week review, 83 Percent of USAID programs have been officially canceled.
According to Rubio, the 5,200 canceled contracts amounted to spending “tens of billions of dollars” in ways that did not serve or, in some cases, even harmed the core national interests of the United States. He added that the approximately 1,000 remaining contracts will now be directly managed by the State Department. However, opposition lawmakers have raised concerns, arguing that this move could be illegal without congressional approval.
The White House has yet to disclose specific details about which contracts were cut and which have been retained, prompting criticism from lawmakers and transparency advocates alike.
Reasons Behind the Purge
The purge of USAID is seen as a key step in advancing President Trump’s “America First” ideology. One of Trump’s initial actions after commencing his second term on January 20 was ordering a 90-day suspension of all foreign aid, labeling USAID as a wasteful use of government resources.
The review was conducted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk. The cuts resulted in thousands of staff layoffs and terminations of contracts, causing significant disruptions both domestically and globally. Aid organizations have expressed alarm, warning that critical programs such as famine prevention in the DR Congo and clean drinking water initiatives in Burkina Faso are now severely threatened.
Experts view the purge as a historic shift in U.S. foreign policy, moving away from traditional alliances and support through aid and embracing a more isolationist approach. Rubio praised DOGE for its execution of the review, while Musk defended the decision, calling the cuts “tough, but necessary” and asserting that key aspects of USAID should always have been managed by the State Department.
