Marcus Mildenberger
Hours after his return to the Oval Office, Donald Trump began implementing his America-first foreign policy agenda, signing a flurry of executive orders that included freezing all U.S. foreign aid and assistance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio eventually attempted to backtrack through a vague memo that allowed some programs to continue temporarily, but the damage has already been done.
Life-saving medications, vaccinations, educational programs, and critical care will be stopped, while aid organizations and federal employees worldwide are left confused about the future of the U.S. foreign service. A complete end to U.S. foreign assistance would be the most significant disruption to U.S. foreign policy in decades and grant adversaries, particularly China, an opportunity to supplant the United States as a trusted trading and development partner.
Now, the administration appears to be deferring all foreign aid oversight decisions to Elon Musk, who called the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—which is in charge of managing and dispersing billions in humanitarian aid and developmental assistance—a “criminal organization.” The administration has already removed two officials for trying to prevent Musk and his Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) staff from accessing classified USAID materials. Never before has an unelected official flagrantly interfered with a federal agency and pushed an administration to end decades of congressional appropriations for foreign assistance.
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