#Trump admin kills nearly all #USAID programs

The Trump admin is terminating thousands of USAID foreign assistance grants & awards, per the #State Dept. The move effectively guts the six-decade-old agency.

#law #aid #GlobalHealth #PublicHealth #geopolitics #ForeignPolicy #diplomacy #SoftPower #USpol #TheCrueltyIsThePoint
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/02/26/nx-s1-5310673/usaid-trump-administration-global-health

The announcement came just hours before [what was]… a court deadline for the #Trump admin to restart payments on those grants. The govt still owes >$1B for work done BEFORE Trump's foreign #aid freeze. But late Wed the admin asked #SCOTUS to vacate the lower court order to start funding those programs again, saying that it could not make the payments on the deadline set by the judge.

#law #GlobalHealth #PublicHealth #geopolitics #ForeignPolicy #diplomacy #SoftPower #USpol #TheCrueltyIsThePoint

In his statement to the lower court, #PeteMarocco, who is performing the duties of the dpty administrator of #USAID, said each of USAID's grants had been reviewed & Secy of #State #MarcoRubio decided to eliminate about 92% worth of the agency's grants. The State dept also cut around 4,100 grants. The [#Trump admin is claiming]…a total savings of nearly $60B dollars.

#law #GlobalHealth #PublicHealth #geopolitics #ForeignPolicy #diplomacy #SoftPower #USpol #TheCrueltyIsThePoint

Contractors were notified of the termination in a memo sent from #USAID's office of Acquisition & Assistance, according to one such letter obtained by NPR. The memo stated that Secy #MarcoRubio & #PeteMarocco "have determined your award is not aligned with Agency priorities & made a determination that continuing this program is not in the national interest."

#law #GlobalHealth #PublicHealth #geopolitics #ForeignPolicy #diplomacy #SoftPower #USpol #TheCrueltyIsThePoint #Trump

Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, president & CEO of the #GlobalHealth Council, said the situation is "horrible." She said that even some of the programs that had received waivers for being "life saving humanitarian assistance”–including ones that provided #HIV medications–have now received termination notices.

"This is a global health #massacre," said one #humanitarian ofcl, who isn't authorized to speak on behalf of their org.

#law #USAID #aid #ForeignAid #Health #geopolitics #SoftPower #USpol #Trump

#Aid groups & advocates have been raising alarms that cuts to #USAID's programs would lead to loss of life, particularly in #humanitarian crisis zones such as #Sudan, where >1k food aid kitchens supported by USAID have closed amid widespread #starvation.

In the filing, Marocco wrote that 500 of USAID's grants were retained, but did not go into detail about which programs will be allowed to continue.

#law #GlobalHealth #health #geopolitics #ForeignAid #ForeignPolicy #SoftPower #USpol #Trump

#USAID supported #humanitarian & development projects in >120 countries & worked to prevent the spread of #disease & eliminate #poverty.

The #State Department said the eliminations followed a review of foreign assistance designed "to ensure taxpayer dollars were used to make America stronger, safer, & more prosperous."

#law #aid #GlobalHealth #PublicHealth #geopolitics #ForeignAid #ForeignPolicy #diplomacy #SoftPower #USpol #TheCrueltyIsThePoint #Trump

@Nonilex "not aligned with Agency priorities" => "is not personally profitable to Trump or Musk"