Investigating Trump’s Illegal Effort to Dismantle USAID

American Oversight launched an investigation on Tuesday into Trump’s shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), demanding any communications that would shed light on efforts to dismantle the agency. 

The organization filed 12 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that also seek to uncover any communications between USAID officials and the White House, Congress, or Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was recently announced as temporary caretaker of USAID.

On Jan. 31, one week after the Trump administration froze nearly all U.S. foreign assistance programs, Politico reported that the administration is considering shutting down USAID and folding it into the State Department. Two days later, billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk said it is time for USAID “to die.” These actions were announced in the middle of the night without any apparent meaningful congressional consultation.

“President Trump has empowered an unelected billionaire to launch a ruthless attack on an agency that employs 10,000 dedicated workers and provides life-saving services worldwide, including food assistance and health care for those in desperate need. His actions not only fuel suffering and weaken U.S. leadership around the world but also reveal the depths of his administration’s disregard for human lives,” said American Oversight Interim Executive Director Chioma Chukwu. “American Oversight is committed to exposing the corrupt motives driving the president’s reckless, lawless executive power grab and the devastating harm his administration’s actions are inflicting on the American people.” 

 The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs is calling for a hearing with Rubio and the State Department Director of Foreign Assistance Peter Marocco to hear directly from those purportedly responsible for the gutting of USAID.