United States Agency for International Development
Seal of USAID | |
Flag of USAID | |
Wordmark of USAID | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1961 |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Dissolved | 2025, de facto (legal issues,[1][2] and 17% of programs rolled into State Department[3][4]) |
| Headquarters | Ronald Reagan Building Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Motto | "From the American people" |
| Annual budget | $34 billion (FY 2025 total budgetary resources)[5] |
| Website | usaid |
| Footnotes | |
| [6] | |
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was formerly the world’s largest agency for foreign aid.[7] During the Cold War in 1961, USAID was established to compete with the Soviet Union through the use of soft power.
In February 2025, the Trump administration first ordered a freeze on all non-life-saving programs and then ended 83% of overall projects.[3][8]
In July 2025, the Trump administration announced that remaining USAID programs would be run by the State Department.[4][9][10] However, USAID had been reorganized by United States Congress as an independent agency in 1998, can only be closed down by an act of Congress, and as of August 2025, remains the de jure of the United States.[1][2][11][12] In addition, budget requests,[13] the Office of Inspector General,[14] and court filings[15] have continued to acknowledge USAID's legal existence.
From 2001 to 2024, USAID had an average budget of $23 billion a year and missions in over 100 countries in areas as diverse as education, global health, environmental protection, and democratic governance. In the twenty years from 2001 to 2021, USAID saved an estimated 92 million lives, including an estimated range of between 26 and 35 million among children under five.[7]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Time, Can He Do That? What Legal Experts Say, Feb 4, 2025was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
crs-20250106was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
CBS News, Secretary of state says 83%, March 10, 2025was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "USAID programs now being run by State Department as agency ends operations". ABC News. July 1, 2025.
- ^ "USAspending.gov". www.usaspending.gov. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ "USAID History". USAID. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
July Lancet articlewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Gedeon, Joseph (March 10, 2025). "Rubio says 83% of USAid programs terminated after six-week purge". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ "USAID closes its doors after six decades amid Trump crackdown". euronews. July 2, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
- ^ "USAID officially closes, attracting condemnation from Obama and Bush". www.bbc.com. July 2, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
- ^ "With the dismantling of USAID, is the Trump administration defying the Constitution?". CBS News. February 16, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ "Trump moves to officially close USAID, tells employees their jobs will be eliminated". The Independent. March 28, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
- ^ Pecorin, Allison (July 14, 2025). "Senate to vote to formalize DOGE cuts to public broadcasting, USAID". ABC News. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ Tonsils, Gabriele (July 2, 2025). "USAID/Somalia's Democracy, Stabilization, and Governance Portfolio: Insufficient System Use, Financial Oversight, and Monitoring Processes Limited Activity Assessments" (PDF). oig.usaid.gov. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ Shumate, Brett A.; et al. (July 10, 2025). "DEFENDANTS' STATUS REPORT UNDER MINUTE ORDER OF MARCH 24, 2025" (PDF). courtlistener.com. Retrieved July 18, 2025.