2 weeks Ago
Topline The Trump administration’s push to eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development threatens billions of dollars in funding across both the for- and non-profit sectors—prompting chaos among USAID staff in Washington and panic among organizations the agency helps fund.
Key Facts Top Ngo Usaid Recipients (fiscal Years 2013-2022) 1. Catholic Relief Services: $4.6 billion (nonprofit) 2.
Chemonics International: $4.5 billion (for-profit) 3. FHI 360: $3.
8 billion (nonprofit) 4. Development Alternatives, Inc.: $3 billion (for-profit) 5.
ABT Associates, Inc.: $2.6 billion (for-profit) 6.
RTI International: $2.3 billion (research institute) 7. John Snow International: $1.
8 billion (nonprofit) 8. Save the Children Federation, Inc.: $1.
5 billion (nonprofit) 9. ARD, Inc.: $1.
5 billion (nonprofit) 10. Jhpiego Corporation: $1.3 billion (nonprofit) 11.
Deloitte: $1.2 billion (for-profit) 12. World Vision: $1.
2 billion (nonprofit) 13. Mercy Corps: $1.1 billion (nonprofit) 14.
ADCI/VOCA: $1.1 billion (nonprofit) 15. Population Services International: $1.
1 billion (nonprofit) Tangent Washington, D.C.-based Chemonics International, which works with developing countries to solve problems related to issues from banking to health care, said it will take “several cost reduction measures, including furloughing many of our staff,” in response to the USAID freeze as a result of an executive order Trump implemented during his first week in office pausing all U.
S. foreign assistance for 90 days, NewsNation reported. Surprising Fact USAID has partnered with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
In 2022, the agency provided 5,000 Starlink satellite terminals manufactured by SpaceX to Ukraine. What Is Happening At Usaid? Trump issued an executive order during his first week in office ordering a 90-day freeze of all foreign U.S.
assistance, pending a spending review, with an exemption for emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt. Musk, who heads the newly created task force known as the Department of Government Efficiency, said early Monday in an audio discussion on X that he and Trump were working to shut the agency down, after Trump on Sunday criticized USAID, telling reporters it was “run by a bunch of radical lunatics.” USAID headquarters were closed Monday and employees were told to work remotely, according to multiple reports.
Trump appears to be attempting to move the agency under the State Department umbrella and made Secretary of State Marco Rubio the agency’s acting administrator Monday, ABC News first reported . USAID’s website is down and the agency’s X account has also been deleted. Hundreds of USAID employees have reportedly been fired or furloughed, and two senior security officials at the USAID office were placed on leave after they attempted to physically stop DOGE officials from entering the agency’s offices and accessing classified material, CNN reported .
The DOGE officials did eventually gain access to the classified materials, including intelligence reports, according to the Associated Press. What To Watch For The Trump administration could face legal action alleging he doesn’t have the authority to shut down the agency without congressional approval, as some Democrats have argued. Further Reading What To Know About Trump’s USAID Changes—After Elon Musk’s DOGE Accesses Classified Info (Forbes) USAID Website Appears To Be Offline As Trump Administration Reportedly Moves To Put It Under State Department Control (Forbes).
