U.S. Secretary of State Announces Termination of 83% of USAID Programs

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the termination of 83% of programs under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) following a six-week review.

In a statement on X, Rubio stated that approximately 5,200 contracts are being canceled, with expenditures totaling tens of billions of dollars. According to him, these funds were not used in the best interests of the United States.

“Following consultations with Congress, we intend to ensure that the remaining 18% of programs—around 1,000—are managed more effectively under the supervision of the State Department,” Rubio said.

He also acknowledged the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency and other officials involved in implementing what he described as a necessary and long-overdue reform.

The announcement follows a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump on February 7, in which he claimed that corruption within USAID had reached unprecedented levels and suggested the agency should be dismantled.

Earlier, the U.S. State Department ended a major USAID initiative supporting Ukraine’s energy grid restoration, which had received hundreds of millions in funding, NBC reported. The decision, part of a broader downsizing of USAID’s presence in Ukraine, reduces U.S. personnel in the country and raises concerns over the grid’s vulnerability amid ongoing Russian attacks.