USAID Website Goes Dark As Trump Reportedly Tries To Move It Under State Department – Forbes
The website for the U.S. Agency for International Development appears to be offline as of Saturday afternoon, as President Donald Trump vows to move the independent agency under the State Department’s control, a controversial move slammed by many Democrats.The USAID website appears to be down as of Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency … [+] via Getty Images)USAID’s website, usaid.gov, displays a message stating the server cannot be reached as of Saturday afternoon.Multiple news outlets reported the Trump administration seeks to strip the agency of its independence and put it under the State Department’s control, marking a shift in how the United States allocates foreign aid.The agency was already plunged into confusion after Trump issued a freeze on most foreign aid, with many senior officials put on leave and thousands of contractors laid off, the Associated Press reported.Signs outside the agency’s Washington, D.C. headquarters appeared to have been removed Friday, NBC News reported.Many Democrats have criticized the Trump administration’s apparent decision to move USAID under the State Department, questioning its legality. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, as well as Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. and Lois Frankel, D-Fla., said in a statement Friday moving USAID under the State Department would “require an Act of Congress,” adding it is “imperative that we maintain an independent development voice and capability within the U.S. government.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., accused Trump of trying to eliminate USAID, which he called “illegal” and an “assault on the Constitution.” In a post on X, Murphy called the consequences of gutting USAID “cataclysmic,” stating “malnourished babies who depend on U.S. aid will die” and “anti-terrorism programs will shut down and our most deadly enemies will get stronger.”USAID is an independent government agency that provides humanitarian aid to foreign countries. The program received $43 billion in funding for fiscal year 2023, and its workforce—prior to the layoffs—totaled more than 10,000. Among the agency’s efforts are projects to address hunger, poverty and disease, and countries among the highest recipients of USAID assistance include Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan, Somalia and Afghanistan.Trump ordered a 90-day freeze to foreign aid last week, with initial exceptions only including food assistance, as well as military aid to Egypt and Israel. Various humanitarian projects worldwide abruptly shut down, including soup kitchens in Sudan and hospital care in Thailand, according to a New York Times report. Following criticism that the aid freeze would threaten lives, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced additional exceptions to the freeze earlier this week, allowing aid that provides life-saving medicine, medical services, food and shelter to continue.Trump administration explores bringing USAID under State Department, sources say (Reuters)US aid agency is in upheaval during foreign assistance freeze and staff departures (Associated Press)One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site’s Terms of Service. We’ve summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:So, how can you be a power user?Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site’s Terms of Service.
