United States Agency for International Development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to unite several foreign assistance organizations and programs under one agency, statute law places USAID under "the direct authority and policy guidance of the Secretary of State". The Trump administration is attempting to fully close the agency, pending several court cases.

USAID has implemented programs in global health, disaster relief, socioeconomic development, environmental protection, democratic governance and education. With average annual disbursements of about $23 billion since 2001, USAID has been one of the world's largest aid agencies and accounts for most U.S. foreign assistancethe highest in the world in absolute dollar terms. USAID has missions in over 100 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14169 directing a near-total freeze on foreign aid, followed in February by placing most employees on administrative leave. The absence of authorization from Congress led to lawsuits against the Trump administration. In February, the administration made several allegations of wasteful spending and fraud, allegations that were generally reported to be false.

In early March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 83% of USAID programs would be cancelled. In late March, USAID executive Jeremy Lewin announced plans to fold the remaining programs into the State Department by July 1 "following congressional consultations." Provided by Wikipedia