US President Donald Trump has called for the closure of USAID in a social media post. "The corruption is at levels rarely seen before. Close it down!" he wrote on the Truth Social platform.
Trump continues his harsh statements about USAID. "It's all a scam when you look at USAID. Very little [of that organization's money] is spent on good purposes. Every line [of its budget] that I look at is either corruption or something ridiculous."
What is USAID?
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was established in 1961 by Democratic President John F. Kennedy. During the Cold War, USAID was one of the main instruments of US foreign policy.
USAID's budget and areas of activity
Before the beginning of this year, USAID managed about 60% of US foreign assistance. For example, in 2023, USAID's budget amounted to USD 43.79 billion. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the agency's approximately 10,000 employees provided assistance to 130 countries.
USAID's main areas of activity were assistance to countries abroad for US strategic interests, economic development and trade support, humanitarian aid and health programs, support for conflict zones, and strengthening democratic institutions.
However, according to some experts, USAID's activities go beyond mere humanitarian assistance and are used as one of the levers of US political influence. In many countries, there are complaints that USAID interferes in the internal affairs of the country, enters into corrupt relationships with local partners, and works to destabilize societies in particular.
USAID Closure and Donald Trump's Policies
The relationship between Donald Trump and USAID has been strained since 2017. After Donald Trump was elected president, he took steps to reduce USAID's budget.
The Trump administration cut USAID's budget by more than 30%.
The "Global Gag Rule" was reinstated.
USAID assistance to countries that did not stop migrants was suspended. For example, assistance was cut to countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Joe Biden and USAID
In 2021, Joe Biden restored the USAID budget and lifted the restrictions imposed by Donald Trump. Thus, USAID resumed its "traditional activities". Again, pressure was started on various countries through USAID.
USAID is closed in 2025
The closure of USAID is one of the major events in 2025.
In January, Donald Trump signed an executive order to close USAID.
On January 24, Donald Trump froze foreign aid for 90 days.
On January 27, USAID's official website was shut down.
On February 3, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was appointed head of USAID.
On February 6, 294 of USAID's 10,000 employees were laid off.
What did Elon Musk say about USAID?
Famous billionaire Elon Musk has made harsh accusations about USAID. He called USAID a "criminal organization." Musk also said that USAID is funding the development of coronavirus and biological weapons.
In which countries has USAID been banned?
USAID has been banned or restricted in its activities in several countries. The main accusations against USAID were that it interfered in the internal affairs of states, was used as a tool of political influence, and also created and financed opposition to governments.
In 2012, the Russian government suspended USAID's activities in the country. The reason was that USAID interfered in Russian politics and supported non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the opposition.
In 2013, Bolivian President Evo Morales expelled USAID from the country. Morales accused USAID of financing anti-government groups and undermining political stability.
This step increased diplomatic tensions between the United States and Bolivia.
Venezuela has long restricted the activities of USAID. In particular, the government of Nicolas Maduro has accused USAID of supporting the opposition and "pursuing a policy of regime change."
In 2019, Venezuela did not accept humanitarian aid sent through USAID.
Cuban government has long prohibited any USAID activity. Official Havana considers USAID to be "a tool of US espionage and political influence."
In 2005, the Eritrean government suspended USAID's activities.
The official reason was the lack of interference by foreign organizations in the country's internal affairs. Eritrea criticized US policy and stated that it took this step to protect its national sovereignty.
During the reign of Omar al-Bashir, USAID's activities were limited. In 2020, after the Sudanese government began to normalize relations with the United States, USAID's activities were partially restored.
Although Pakistan cooperates with USAID, it has imposed restrictions on the agency's activities in some regions (in particular, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
In 2011, after the disclosure of the programs used by the United States to find Osama bin Laden, Pakistan suspended some USAID projects.
In 2013, the Egyptian government restricted USAID funding to some NGOs. Egypt has accused USAID of "seeking to create instability."
USAID's activities in China are limited, and are largely confined to academic and health projects.
India has tightened oversight of some USAID projects and restricted the use of foreign funding.
Türkiye cooperates with USAID, but has limited its participation in some projects.
President Ilham Aliyev's USAID forecast
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made a statement about USAID back in December 2024. He predicted the closure of USAID in advance:
"I think Trump may ban it. I think that maybe it will be removed," Ilham Aliyev said.
"Assistance must be unobtrusive. What will the Biden administration be remembered for, among other things? For many things, but among other things, for being too obtrusive. We want to help you. We say: thank you, there is no need for that. But we want to. They have this structure called USAID, which wants to help, but for some reason it helps in the wrong places," emphasized President.
MP: "The most shameful period in the history of USAID..."
"Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that this organization is not engaged in good deeds. Unfortunately, no one has heard our voice so far. After the change of power in the US, that is, after Donald Trump was elected president for the second time, many interesting points are being clarified. USAID is also among them," MP Vugar Iskandarov told APA.
The MP reminded that "in the last few days, a series of information has been published about the criminal actions of this organization in different parts of the world": "According to the latest information, USAID has financed 707 media outlets, 6,200 journalists and 279 NGOs working in the field of journalism around the world. Starting from the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan in 2012 to this day, a dirty campaign against our country was conducted in the international media during the war, the rallies of environmentalists on the Lachin road, and during COP29. Now it is not difficult to say who is behind that campaign."
According to the deputy, it is difficult to say in advance what further shameful acts the investigations will "uncover."
"There is no doubt that the period led by the Biden Administration and Samantha Power will be the most shameful period in the history of this organization," said Vugar Iskandarov.
In which countries has USAID caused unrest?
Former CIA Director John Gilligan admitted that “USAID was infiltrated that “CIA agents were deployed in every aspect of its operations from top to bottom, from volunteer work abroad to religion.”
The country’s military and intelligence circles used USAID as a tool for “soft power,” “color revolutions,” to change the existing socio-political structure in countries that the United States did not consider friendly.
One of the most striking examples of this is the attempt to cause a “color revolution” in Cuba. In 2010, the social network “ZunZuneo” began operating in the island nation. An investigation by the Associated Press revealed that the social network was created by USAID to coordinate the protest movement in the country and that a chain of shell companies was used to hide the fact that the funding came from USAID. Even the US Congress was unaware of the CIA and USAID’s secret game and believed that it was voting for a completely different project.
USAID organized fake AIDS prevention seminars in Latin America to overthrow foreign governments, provided financial support for heroin cultivation in Afghanistan, allocated $27 million to a group of prosecutors funded by Soros and gave directions on citizens and politicians to be prosecuted in exchange for these funds, and instructed the OCCRP, which presented itself as a “serious” and “independent” investigative journalistic group, to find compromising information against Rudolph Giuliani, the mayor of New York and former cybersecurity advisor to President Trump, in exchange for a fee of USD 20 million.
In October 2023, USAID was accused in Georgia of financing 3 Serbian citizens who were trained in violent protest methods with the aim of changing the government in the country.
It is no longer a secret that USAID directed NGOs and political forces participating in the protests in Serbia since November 2024.
Robert Kennedy, the son of the candidate for the post of US Secretary of Health, said that USAID financed the "Maidan" events in Ukraine: "There are riots in Ukraine called Maidan, but we are not told that we are financing these riots. The newspapers never told us, our government did not tell us that USAID, which is a subordinate of the Central Intelligence Agency, allocated USD 5 billion to finance these riots."
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