United States Agency for International Development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to unite several foreign assistance organizations and programs under one agency, statute law places USAID under "the direct authority and policy guidance of the Secretary of State". It implements programs in global health, disaster relief, socioeconomic development, environmental protection, democratic governance and education. With average annual disbursements of about $23bn since 2001, USAID has been one of the world's largest aid agencies and accounts for most U.S. foreign assistancethe highest in the world in absolute dollar terms. USAID has missions in over 100 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

USAID has faced scrutiny over its role in political operations of influence abroad and potential conflicts of interest. In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing a near-total freeze on foreign aid. The Trump administration made false or misleading allegations of wasteful spending and fraud, and planned to reduce employee numbers from around 10,000 to 290. Elon Musk, who has been carrying out Trump's cost-cutting agenda as a special government employee through the Department of Government Efficiency, announced the intention of shutting down USAID. The legality of Trump's order was contested, and a federal court issued a temporary restraining order pausing staff reductions. The Trump administration appealed the decision to pause spending for the agency to the U.S. Supreme Court, who rejected the appeal and sent it back to a lower court. It was estimated that around 3.3 million people could die within a year as a result of the freeze, primarily from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and lack of vaccination. Provided by Wikipedia