Actualité

𝐔𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘: 𝐔.𝐒 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟗𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Washington, USA
Thursday, February 27, 2025

The US administration on Wednesday announced massive cuts to US international aid, including the elimination of 92% of funding for overseas programs by the US development agency, USAID, boasting that it will “save taxpayers nearly $60 billion”.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 20, as soon as he returned to the White House, ordering a 90-day freeze on US foreign aid, the time for a full review to assess its conformity with the policies he intends to pursue, notably against programs promoting abortion, family planning or advocating diversity and inclusion.

However, a federal judge, seized by two organizations representing companies, NGOs and other beneficiaries of US aid funds, suspended the decision to freeze spending approved by Congress.

As part of this procedure, following a review of these programs by his staff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who oversees USAID, which was promised to be dismantled, decided to permanently eliminate almost 5,800 of the funding granted worldwide by the agency, at a remaining cost of $54 billion, retaining just over 500, according to the State Department.

In addition, of the more than 9,100 grants awarded by the State Department, worth a total of $15.9 billion, 4,100 – at an estimated cost of $4.4 billion – have been cancelled, said a spokesman for US diplomacy.

USAID maintains “vital” grants such as food assistance and treatment for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria patients, as well as for countries such as Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba, the State Department assures.

A protestor holds a sign as people gather outside the Ronald Reagan Building during a “clap out” in support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) fired staff who received word to retrieve their personal belongings from USAID headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2025. Most employees at USAID have been placed on leave or fired by midnight on February 23, the aid agency said. (Photo by Ting Shen / AFP)

– “Neither safer nor stronger” –

“The State Department today cut 10,000 of its own and USAID funding with immediate effect, effectively slashing U.S. foreign aid,” deplored InterAction, an alliance of more than 160 NGOs, in a statement.

“Women and children will go hungry, food will rot in warehouses, children will be born with HIV, among other tragedies,” it added, urging Mr. Rubio to reverse a decision that ”will not make America safer, stronger or more prosperous.”

The court also ordered the State Department to resume payments, estimated at between $1.5 and $2 billion, due to hundreds of international aid organizations by 11:59pm on Wednesday (04:59 GMT on Thursday).

But the conservative-majority Supreme Court, seized by the Trump administration, has suspended this decision while it rules on the merits.

USAID, whose workforce exceeded 10,000, announced on February 23 that it was laying off 1,600 of its US employees and placing the majority of its staff on administrative leave.

The aid freeze caused shock and dismay at the independent agency, created by an act of the US Congress in 1961, which manages an annual budget of $42.8 billion, accounting for 42% of the world’s humanitarian aid.

During his campaign, the Republican promised to reduce the weight of the federal government and cut spending, before appointing Elon Musk to head a commission on government efficiency (Doge).

The Tesla and SpaceX boss has launched a vast offensive aimed at drastically reducing public spending, with methods decried in particular by the Democratic opposition and unions, who consider them brutal and arbitrary.

Humaniterre with AFP