6 hours Ago By Jack Phillips
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said Monday that he will place a hold on President Donald Trump’s State Department nominees following a recent flurry of activity in the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID). Schatz, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he'd put a “blanket hold” on the State Department picks in protest of recent talk about potentially dismantling USAID. Under the Senate’s rules, one senator can hold up nominations even if the other 99 want them to move quickly, forcing the Senate to use up many hours of floor time to advance nominations or promotions.
The senator said that he believes the courts may temporarily stop attempts to dissolve USAID. “You cannot wave a wand and eliminate a department established by federal law, so it will be reversed by a court,” Schatz said. Sen.
Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said at a rally near the USAID building on Monday that Trump’s decision is a “corrupt abuse of power” that will serve as a “gift to our adversaries.” Trump and Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have signaled that the agency may be facing major changes—or even be scrapped in its entirety.
Musk said during an X Spaces event earlier in the day that Trump told him he wants to dissolve the program, while Trump said Sunday that “radical lunatics” have taken over the agency. Dozens of senior officials with USAID have been put on leave, contractors have been laid off, and employees were told Monday not to enter its Washington headquarters. USAID’s website and its account on X have been taken down.
On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is now the acting director of USAID, suggesting that the agency was moved under the Department of State’s purview. However, he said that he delegated his responsibilities to someone else. “USAID is not functioning.
It has to be aligned with U.S. policy.
It needs to be aligned with the national interest of the U.S.,” Rubio told reporters in El Salvador.
“They’re not a global charity—these are taxpayer dollars. People are asking simple questions. What are they doing with the money? We are spending taxpayers money.
We owe the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our national interest.” The Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid last month put a pause on a number of USAID programs around the world, including an HIV and AIDS program that was set up in the early 2000s under President George W. Bush.
The Epoch Times contacted Schatz’s office for comment on Monday..
