Rubio gives management of USAID’s final shutdown to OMB

(MENAFN) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that USAID will be handed over to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to manage the agency’s final shutdown.

Following his return to office in January, US President Donald Trump initiated the process of dismantling USAID, long Washington’s primary channel for funding political projects abroad. He accused the agency of being managed by “radical lunatics” and enabling corruption “at levels rarely seen before,” while conservatives have often criticized it for promoting liberal agendas.

Since the dismantling began, thousands of USAID staff have been laid off or placed on leave, and billions of dollars in contracts have been frozen or canceled as part of the administration’s wider federal spending reductions. The effort has faced lawsuits from dismissed employees and NGOs opposed to the closure.

“Since January, we’ve saved the taxpayers tens of billions of dollars,” Rubio wrote on X. “And with a small set of core programs moved over to the State Department, USAID is officially in close out mode.” He added that the agency’s final termination will now be overseen by OMB Director Russ Vought, who has spearheaded efforts to reclaim funds that conflicted with Trump’s policy priorities, including allocations to USAID.

USAID has long drawn criticism from foreign leaders as well. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned of potential “gross interference” in his country’s political affairs, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called for eliminating “these foreign networks” that interfere in domestic politics.

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