US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken over as acting administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as the agency is being considered for reorganization.
"I am the acting director of USAID. He has delegated that authority to someone. I am in communication with him," Rubio said on February 3 during a press statement during a visit to El Salvador.
The top American diplomat did not indicate to whom he delegated this responsibility.
Rubio said that there are many USAID functions "that will continue" and that, according to him, they will be part of American foreign policy, but "they must be in line with American foreign policy."
"I have made it very clear during my confirmation hearings that every dollar we spend, every program we fund, that program will be aligned with the national interests of the United States. USAID has a history of ignoring that and has decided that, somehow, it is a global charity, separate from national interests. This is taxpayer money," declared the US chief diplomat.
Later on February 3, the US State Department said that USAID has long "departed from its original mission to responsibly advance US interests abroad, and now it is clear that large portions of USAID's funding are not aligned with core US national interests."
"Secretary Rubio has also notified Congress that a review of foreign assistance activities is underway with a view to a possible reorganization," the State Department said.
US media have reported in recent days that the administration of US President Donald Trump appears to be closing USAID, as part of a series of measures to cut government spending.
International humanitarian organizations have warned that such a decision could have catastrophic consequences.
At the forefront of the initiative to close the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is Elon Musk, Trump's appointee for cutting government spending.
Musk claims that the administration can cut spending by $1 trillion, and describes his entire move as a battle against corruption.
USAID workers have received a notice that the agency's headquarters in Washington will be closed to personnel on February 3, "by decision of the agency's leadership," American media outlets such as CNN and the Associated Press reported, citing several of their own sources.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has contacted the US Embassy in Pristina to find out whether a similar request has been made to USAID staff in Pristina, but has not received a response by the time of publication.
The American media, CBS, citing three American officials, has reported that USAID will be integrated into the State Department and there will be a major reduction in the workforce. However, the agency will remain a humanitarian aid entity. Reuters, meanwhile, citing a senior White House official, also reported that the US is considering the possibility of merging USAID within the State Department.
The main website of USAID, an agency that according to United Nations data provides more than 40 percent of all humanitarian aid in the world, has been down, while Trump himself has claimed that the agency is "led by a group of radical lunatics."
"We are removing them and we will make a decision" about the future of USAID, he told reporters on February 2.
Trump's comments follow media reports, such as CNN and Reuters, that two senior USAID security officials have been temporarily suspended after they attempted to prevent representatives of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the agency's computer systems.
DOGE is an organization founded by Trump and led by Musk.
Musk himself has described USAID as a "criminal organization" and said it is "time for it to go out of business," even though the agency manages tens of billions of dollars that the US Congress approves as aid outside the US.
A group of Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on February 2, expressing "deep concern" about the Trump administration's actions, which are targeting an agency that, according to them, was established "to ensure that we can send development expertise and assistance across borders quickly, especially in times of crisis, to achieve our national security goals."
The US State Department, under Rubio's leadership, decided on January 24 to freeze new funding for almost all foreign assistance programs, as part of Trump's pledge to have every program aligned with his foreign policy.
Rubio, after taking office last month, said that "every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue, must be justified by answers to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?"
Trump's executive order called for a 90-day pause in all aid, in order to assess the effectiveness and "consistency of the aid with U.S. foreign policy." The order, however, allows Rubio to make minor exceptions for "specific programs."
Humanitarian groups and non-governmental organizations around the world have raised concerns about the fate of USAID, following Trump's executive order.
USAID has been present in Kosovo since 1999, and since then has invested more than $1 billion in Kosovo's development.
Over the past 25 years, USAID has developed programs to combat corruption, promote the rule of law and good governance, combat disinformation and advocate for independent media, strengthen civil society and democracy, develop economic development, and attract foreign investment.
In August 2024, the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, signed a grant with USAID , which provides additional assistance to Kosovo's institutions worth $34.5 million.
The grant was part of a previously reached agreement worth approximately $146 million, which aims to provide better services to citizens, increase institutional accountability, and ensure more efficient management.
Prior to the freeze on funding, USAID in Kosovo had been funding a variety of activities. These included:
Kreshnik Shehu, a wood processor in Kosovo, told Radio Free Europe a few days ago that US aid has played an important role in increasing exports of this material.
Shehu's company, like the timber sector in general in Kosovo, has benefited from USAID funding.
"In 2014, exports in our sector were 2.5 million euros," Shehu told Radio Free Europe.
"Today, they are more than 150 million euros. This shows that over the last ten years, USAID's contribution has been very large. It has been a decisive factor in the growth of this sector," added Shehu.
"If that help didn't exist, we would have been many years behind," said Shehu, whose company is headquartered in the town of Drenas.
"We still need it, because we haven't yet grown enough to face the incredible competition in the international market."
The President of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, Lulzim Rafuna, also said that USAID has played an important role in the development of the state of Kosovo.
"USAID continues to assist numerous associations and businesses, including women-led enterprises, information technology companies, and export-oriented businesses," Rafuna told Radio Free Europe.
According to him, USAID has also helped reduce tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.
"It has been instrumental in providing assistance in finding solutions to trade disputes involving exports and imports to Serbian and regional markets. So, in addition to fostering economic development, USAID has played a vital role in reducing tensions between the two countries."
A pause in funding for Afghanistan "would be catastrophic for the more than 22 million Afghans who need help," Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in several responses to Radio Free Europe's Radio Azadi.
Since Russia launched a full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, USAID has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in aid, development assistance, and budget support.
Trump has criticized the amount of aid — including billions of dollars in military aid — that Biden approved for Ukraine.
Svitlana Musiak, a researcher at the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, a non-governmental organization based in Kiev, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service that the suspension of USAID funding for Ukraine could negatively impact programs that affect civil society and signal "diminished American support for the country's democratic reforms and economic stability."
Some representatives of Ukrainian civil society have said they support an audit of the funds allocated by USAID in this country.
Olena Trehub, head of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission and member of the Anti-Corruption Council, which operates under the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, said on February 2 on Facebook that she has always been vocal about the need for USAID to be reformed, saying she has witnessed the allocation of large government funds through the agency, but that "the results have left much to be desired."
However, she noted that USAID has supported important reforms, civil society, and humanitarian and infrastructure projects, which have had a major impact on Ukraine's development.
Speaking to CBS News on February 2, Republican Congressman Brian Mast of Florida said he is working with Rubio "to make sure there is proper command and control" in agencies like USAID.
Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has said he would support "eliminating USAID as a separate department" and incorporating it into "other departments" of the US State Department.
Two US Senate Democrats said in a letter sent to Rubio on February 2 that "any attempt to merge or incorporate USAID within the State Department must be done by law, and must be reviewed, debated, and approved by Congress."
"Congress has made it clear that any attempt to reorganize or redesign USAID requires prior consultation and notification of Congress," they said, among other things, in the letter./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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