USAID officially shuts doors, American government announces

After six decades, the US Agency for International Development has been ended by the Trump administration. The closure is part of the administration’s crackdown on the federal government and was one of the prime targets of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The US Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act and President John F. Kennedy set up USAID as an independent agency in 1961. Its mission over the years has been to partner with countries to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies.

USAID’s support played a vital role for agriculture's Green Revolution, credited with saving 1 billion lives around the world. The agency’s work with other global partners has strengthened health systems globally, contributing to reducing deaths among children under 5 by 69% since 1990.

But funding for many of those programs has been cut off or reduced under Trump, shutting down many of those leading programs.