Should USAID Really be Shut Down?

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In an attempt to cut government spending, thousands of federal employees will soon be out of jobs following President Trump's executive order to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development. As of February 2025, Head of Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk and Trump are working to eliminate over 10,000 employees that are a part of the agency. With the majority of them working out of the country, most will have to go on paid administrative leave or have their jobs terminated completely. Not only is the shutdown going to affect the nation domestically, but it is also going to affect many countries around the world. So, is it really that efficient? 

The U.S. Agency for International Development delivers billions of dollars in humanitarian aid worldwide, helping countless populations of people who are recovering from disaster and conflict, combating disease, escaping poverty, engaging in democratic reforms and so much more.

According to NBC News, the U.S. Agency for International Development was first established in the early 1960s by former President John F. Kennedy to “Counter Soviet influence during the Cold War and to run various foreign assistance programs.” Today, its purpose is still defined by the latter, and the shutdown poses a significant threat to the entire world’s public safety and health. To name one example, millions of people will no longer be receiving life-saving HIV treatment through one of the programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which could cause the virus to spread as well as put many more lives at risk. This is just one of the many programs that would be put to an end under the shutdown. 

Trump’s administration plans to merge the agency with the U.S. Department of State and reduce the workforce to the hundreds. However, that could change how the organization functions. In the past, the U.S. Agency for International Development was able to help countries that weren’t diplomatically involved with the U.S. government; moving it to the State Department would make this unlikely to continue and undermine both U.S. leadership and security. However, The Secretary of State, the president’s chief foreign affairs advisor, Marco Rubio, stated that the government will still be giving foreign aid to other countries, “but it is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest.” This, unfortunately, means that the foreign aid that the government would give most likely will go to whoever will benefit the U.S. the most rather than the countries that are more in need of it. 

Democratic lawmakers are questioning the legality of the shutdown, saying that Trump’s executive order to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development and that making employee cuts are both illegal and unconstitutional. Many are also addressing that the White House doesn’t have the authority to dismantle an independent agency, especially one Congress created by law. As of March 2025, no answers have been official on whether the organization will continue to operate and this case is still under debate.

Sometimes, big organizations need to be cleaned up to see if there is any way to cut back their budget. Still, it is unethical to dismantle an independent organization whose primary cause is to help millions of people around the world.