Trump on USAID: Corruption has reached unprecedented level, agency should be closed
US President Donald Trump has said that "corruption has reached an unprecedented level" at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and therefore it must be dismantled.
He wrote about this on his social network TruthSocial, Censor.NET reports.
"USAID is driving the radical left crazy, and they can't do anything about it because the spending of funds - largely fraudulent - is simply unexplainable. Corruption has reached an unheard-of level. Close this organization down!" Trump called for.
At the same time, the Republican did not provide any evidence.
Earlier, the Trump administration accused USAID of financing poppy plantations in Afghanistan, supporting militants in Syria, and controversial projects.
Suspension of USAID funding
As reported, at the end of January, the U.S. federal government agency USAID suspended funding for all programs and projects in Ukraine for 90 days to implement the State Department's directive to audit foreign aid.
However, it is currently unknown whether funding for at least some projects will resume. After all, American billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the US Government's Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), called USAID's work ineffective and has already announced the start of its liquidation.
USAID's Director of Security and his deputy were placed on administrative leave on Saturday, February 1, after they failed to provide access to the agency's secure systems to employees of the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) under Elon Musk's leadership.
Subsequently, Musk distributed a fake video claiming that USAID allegedly paid millions of dollars to Western stars to increase the popularity of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
After that, U.S. President Donald Trump appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He stated that the Trump Administration would review USAID programs to determine which ones would be in the national interest and continue to operate.
All USAID contracted personnel around the world have been placed on mandatory leave starting February 7. The only exceptions will be for personnel responsible for critical functions, senior management, and specially designated programs."
