US Agencies

Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC): Trump kills US agency funding Africa infrastructure

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President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday ordered the closure of a US agency that invested billions in African and other developing countries’ infrastructure in return for good governance, effectively ceding ground to China. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) will immediately exit projects around the world, from building roads to modernizing electricity grids, likely leaving the … [Read more…]

Marco Rubio announces sweeping reorganisation of US state department

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The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has proposed a sweeping reorganisation of the US state department as part of what he called an effort to reform it amid criticism from the Trump White House over the execution of US diplomacy. If approved, the reorganisation would cut more than 700 positions and eliminate 132 of 734 … [Read more…]

Rubio’s firing of Marocco ignites a MAGA world meltdown

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When Marco Rubio fired the man in charge of dismantling USAID, he made enemies inside the MAGA movement. Peter Marocco, the Trump administration official in charge of dismantling USAID, left a meeting at the White House last week to return to his office at the State Department. But when he arrived, Marocco could not enter … [Read more…]

USAID Cuts: New Estimates at the Country Level

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The largest absolute dollar cut at the country level is $1.4 billion in Ukraine assistance. Ethiopia, the DRC, Colombia, South Africa, Palestine, Bangladesh, Kenya, Afghanistan, and Tanzania all see cuts over $200 million. Liberia sees the largest cut as a percentage of its economy, estimated at 1.6 percent of GNI. Afghanistan, Palestine, and Somalia are … [Read more…]

Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts Are Killing Jobs for US Contractors, Too

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Weeks after Donald Trump won reelection, Keith Ives held an all-staff meeting at his Denver-based company to reassure his 30 employees that their work evaluating the success of US aid projects overseas wasn’t under threat. “I enthusiastically told them, ‘I’m not worried at all — the work we do isn’t political,’” said Ives, who founded … [Read more…]

Pete Marocco, the Trump official who oversaw dismantling of USAID leaves US state department

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Pete Marocco, the Trump administration official who played a major role in dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has left the state department, a US official said on Sunday. Donald Trump’s administration has moved to fire nearly all USAID staff, as billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” has slashed funding and … [Read more…]

Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) is back!

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In the initial stages of USAID’s dismantling, the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) was taken offline. This move erased decades of valuable knowledge, outcomes, and public transparency that illustrated how American tax dollars were utilized and shared vital lessons with a global audience. Fortunately, the Institute for Development Impact (I4DI) has brought it back! USAID has … [Read more…]

FHI 360 announced a series of nationwide layoffs

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Message from Tessie San Martin CEO at FHI 360 Yesterday I shared the news that we were terminating employment for about 480 employees in the U.S., including more than 140 in North Carolina where we are headquartered. These latest staff reductions come on top of thousands of additional terminations in more than 30 countries, all … [Read more…]

Mass Reduction in Force (RIF) Notices Sent to All USAID Missions Abroad

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Yesterday, thousands of local staff at USAID, known as Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs), received their termination notices: global Reduction in Force (RIF). While we anticipated this news, it’s still tough to digest for most of them. Departures planned by August 2025. USAID will be winding down its operations, and foreign assistance as we know it … [Read more…]