WASHINGTON- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that the US is canceling 83 percent of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) programs.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January calling for a freeze on all U.S. foreign aid to give him time to assess spending abroad.
“After a six-week review, we are officially cancelling 83 percent of USAID programs,” Rubio wrote on social media platform X.
“The 5,200 contracts that have now been cancelled have spent billions of dollars, which are not consistent with (and in some cases have harmed) the core national interests of the United States.”
“USAID provides US humanitarian assistance around the world. It operates health and emergency programs in nearly 120 countries.”
Rubio on Monday thanked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, for its drive to cut costs and cut jobs, particularly in government departments.
Trump and his allies have argued that foreign aid is wasteful and not in America’s best interests.
Aid groups have also argued that cutting aid could put the lives of vulnerable people at risk