WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) – The State Department office that handles refugee issues and works to cut illegal migration will lead the U.S. response to overseas disasters, according to excerpts from an internal department cable, a role for which experts say it lacks the knowhow and personnel. The Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, known … [Read more…]
US is not withdrawing from the world, Rubio says during testy hearings in Congress
The administration proposed a new $2.9 billion America First Opportunity Fund that would take on foreign aid, building on “lessons we learned from USAID,” Rubio said. Rubio defended cuts to foreign aid – he was an advocate of such aid during his 14 years in the Senate – while slashing State Department staff and the … [Read more…]
Institute of Peace reclaims its headquarters after court win over Musk’s cost-cutting team
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Institute of Peace retook control of its headquarters Wednesday, two days after a federal judge said the firing of its board and employees by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency was illegal. The institute’s acting president, George Moose, entered the organization’s headquarters with private security and the institute’s outside attorney … [Read more…]
‘We have to try lifting ourselves’: USAID workers fired months ago are still scrambling for jobs
They were among the first of the federal employees to lose their jobs, and months later, laid off workers for the U.S. Agency for International Development are still struggling to regain their footing. Wayan Vota, who spent decades improving technology across developing countries, created a Substack site to help his former colleagues search for new … [Read more…]
Zimbabwean arrested in U.S. for defrauding USAID project
A Zimbabwean national, Ruth Chisina Mufute, has been arrested by special agents from the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG) on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in connection with a nearly decade-long scheme that allegedly defrauded a USAID-funded project of approximately $240,000. Mufute, a former … [Read more…]
WEBINAR – Processing the Impact: Navigating Change and Loss as a USAID FSN
📢 Dedicated webinar for USAID FSNs 📢 Please join us for a 60 minute webinar, “Navigating Change and Loss” 📅 Wednesday, May 14🕗 8:00 – 9:00am EDT📋 Registration link: https://lnkd.in/eXNXwuQg During this session, we will explore:❤️🩹 common experiences and emotions that arise during times of transition🛠️ practical strategies for coping with uncertainty, processing feelings of … [Read more…]
Bill Gates accuses Elon Musk of ‘killing’ children with USAID cuts
Gates also announced that his Gates Foundation will cease operations in 2045, sooner than previously planned. Bill Gates accused Elon Musk of killing poor children as he announced Thursday that he would donate his remaining fortune to his charity, the Gates Foundation. In a wide-ranging interview with the Financial Times, Gates addressed Musk’s recent cuts … [Read more…]
Impact of USAID Withdrawal on Global Education and Skills Development
The dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has created an unprecedented crisis in global education and skills development, with far-reaching consequences for access, equity, and the quality of learning worldwide. This report, commissioned by the European Training Foundation (ETF), examines the implications of USAID’s funding withdrawal through four key lenses: funding … [Read more…]
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC): Trump kills US agency funding Africa infrastructure
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
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…]