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USAID Website Down As Trump Moves To Suspend Foreign Aid

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) website went offline without explanation on Saturday, coinciding with widespread furloughs, layoffs, and program closures as President Donald Trump’s suspension of US-funded foreign aid and development took global effect.

Amid these actions, Congressional Democrats are increasingly clashing with the Trump administration, voicing concerns that Trump might aim to dissolve USAID and merge it into the State Department.

Democrats argue that Trump lacks the legal authority to disband a congressionally funded independent agency like USAID, emphasizing its critical role in national security.

Trump and his Republican allies in Congress argue that many foreign aid and development initiatives are ineffective and promote liberal social agendas.

Concerns are mounting over potentially harsher measures against USAID, which began two weeks after the administration halted billions in US humanitarian, development, and security assistance.

The US remains the top global provider of humanitarian aid, allocating less than 1% of its budget to foreign assistance, a proportion comparatively lower than some other nations.

On Saturday, administration officials declined to comment on legislative and public concerns about the potential discontinuation of USAID as an independent entity.

President John F. Kennedy established USAID during the Cold War to counter Soviet influence, following Congress’s enactment of the Foreign Assistance Act in 1961, which Kennedy also signed into law along with an executive order making USAID an independent agency.

Today, USAID is pivotal in the US’s strategy against China’s growing global influence through its successful Belt and Road Initiative.

USAID employees used group chats throughout Friday and Saturday to monitor the status of their agency, including whether the USAID flag and signage were still displayed at their Washington headquarters. As of late Saturday, they remained.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut remarked on X on Friday that a president cannot dissolve congressionally funded federal agencies through an executive order, accusing Trump of deepening a constitutional crisis.

Murphy described this as typical behavior of a tyrant who seeks to divert public funds to enrich his wealthy allies.

Advising Trump on a campaign to reduce the federal government for efficiency, billionaire Elon Musk supported calls on his X platform for the dissolution of USAID.

Musk’s post on Saturday, “Live by executive order, die by executive order,” referred to the precarious status of USAID under Trump’s administration.

On his first day in office, Trump implemented an unprecedented 90-day suspension of foreign aid, followed swiftly by the State Department halting nearly all foreign aid globally, resulting in the shutdown of numerous programs and significant workforce reductions.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has worked to maintain certain vital emergency aid operations during the suspension, despite widespread confusion over which programs can continue, causing significant disruption to international aid organizations.

In his initial public remarks on Thursday, Rubio stated that USAID’s programs were under review to ensure they serve the national interest but did not suggest the agency would be abolished.

The 90-day review period of US-funded programs has led to “increased cooperation” from aid recipients, according to Rubio.

The longstanding debate between Republicans and Democrats over the agency centers on whether humanitarian and development aid contributes to US security by stabilizing partner nations and economies or if it constitutes a financial drain.

Republicans often advocate for increased State Department control over USAID policies and finances, whereas Democrats strive to preserve USAID’s independence and authority.

This legal conflict was evident during Trump’s first term when he proposed cutting the foreign operations budget by a third, a move Congress rejected.

The Trump administration then resorted to freezes and other measures to restrict the disbursement of funds already allocated by Congress for foreign initiatives. The General Accounting Office later determined these actions violated the Impoundment Control Act.