CBS News - USAID to be merged into State Department, 3 U.S. officials say
By Sara Cook, Jennifer Jacobs
Updated on: February 3, 2025 / 12:36 PM EST /
USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, will be merged into the State Department with significant cuts in the workforce, but it will remain a humanitarian aid entity, three U.S. officials told CBS News.
Officials in President Trump's administration are expected to announce the moves in the coming days. Discussions about the extent of the funding reductions remained fluid on Monday.
Mr. Trump made Secretary of State Marco Rubio the acting administrator of USAID, sources said, and Rubio himself soon confirmed it to reporters traveling with him in El Salvador. ABC News earlier reported his status as chief. Rubio said he has designated his acting authority to handle day-to-day responsibilities to someone else, although he didn't say whom.
USAID oversees humanitarian, development and security programs in about 120 countries around the world. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, USAID "provides assistance to strategically important countries and countries in conflict; leads U.S. efforts to alleviate poverty, disease, and humanitarian need; and assists U.S. commercial interests by supporting developing countries' economic growth."
Foreign aid overall, of which USAID is one part, accounts for less than 1% of the federal budget.
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