The Trump administration confirmed to The Associated Press that it had taken USAID off the lease of the building, which it had occupied for decades.
USAID's eviction from its headquarters marks the latest in the swift dismantling of the aid agency and its programs by President Donald Trump as part of his effort to deal with wasteful spending of taxpayers' dollars.
Republicans have offered several examples of wasteful spending including support for LGBTQ+ programs in various countries. Over the weekend, Iowa Republican Senator, Joni Ernst, penned a Wall Street Journal editorial which referred to USAID as a " rogue agency." As an example, she said money that was supposed to alleviate economic distress in Ukraine instead went to send Ukrainian models and designers on junkets to New York City and so-called "Fashion Weeks" in Paris and London.
The president signed an executive order freezing foreign assistance, forcing U.S.-funded aid and development programs worldwide to shut down and lay off staff. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had sought to mitigate the damage by issuing a waiver to exempt emergency food aid and other programs.
In an interview aired Sunday with Fox News host Bret Baier ahead of the Super Bowl, Trump suggested that he might allow a handful of aid and development programs to resume under Rubio’s oversight.
“Let him take care of the few good ones,” Trump said.
