U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed an 83% reduction in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), marking the completion of the Trump administration’s six-week purge of aid programs.
Rubio made the announcement on X Monday, stating that the remaining 18% of USAID’s programs would be transferred to the State Department for “more effective administration.”
The sweeping cuts were executed by Trump-appointed officials at the State Department, in collaboration with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) teams. Rubio thanked DOGE and “our hardworking staff who worked tirelessly to achieve this overdue and historic reform” in foreign aid.
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The announcement follows President Donald Trump’s January 20 executive order freezing foreign aid and initiating a review of all U.S. development programs, which he criticized as wasteful and ideologically driven.
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According to Rubio, the review has now “officially ended,” with approximately 5,200 of USAID’s 6,200 programs eliminated.
“These programs spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve—and in some cases even harmed—the core national interests of the United States,” Rubio wrote.
While the administration has not provided a full list of spared programs, reports indicate that mass contract terminations were sent to aid organizations earlier this month. Critics, including Democratic lawmakers, argue that shuttering congressionally funded programs without approval is illegal.
Despite earlier claims that over 90% of USAID programs would be cut, Rubio’s 83% figure leaves questions about discrepancies in the administration’s numbers.
The dismantling of USAID reverses decades of bipartisan policy that framed foreign aid as a key tool for U.S. national security, helping stabilize regions, bolster alliances, and build global goodwill.
In the weeks following Trump’s order, key officials—including Trump transition team member Pete Marocco and Musk—enforced mass firings, forced leaves, and overnight contract terminations, effectively paralyzing USAID operations worldwide.
Programs supporting epidemic response, famine relief, and democracy-building ground to a halt. Aid groups laid off tens of thousands of workers, and lawsuits are now piling up, with contractors claiming billions in unpaid obligations.
The shutdown has also stranded many USAID staff and contractors abroad, awaiting back pay and travel assistance to return home.
READ ALSO: Supreme Court orders Trump administration to release frozen foreign aid
