Overview

• President Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have initiated the dismantling of USAID, placing thousands of employees on leave and shutting down operations globally.
• The abrupt halt to USAID funding has frozen critical humanitarian programs, including malaria prevention in Africa, HIV treatments in Haiti, and famine relief in Myanmar, leaving millions at risk.
• Legal challenges and a federal judge’s temporary block on some measures have not reversed the widespread layoffs or the agency's operational shutdown, with only 600 of over 10,000 staff remaining active.
• Critics warn the closure undermines U.S. global influence, with China and Russia poised to fill the void in international aid and diplomacy left by USAID's collapse.
• The Trump administration has faced bipartisan criticism over the legality of dissolving USAID without congressional approval, as well as concerns about the broader implications for other federal agencies.