U.S. President Donald Trump appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting adminstrator over the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), according to a statement published Feb. 3.
The announcement comes shortly after billionaire Elon Musk claimed that he had Trump's approval to shut down the agency.
Trump has named Rubio acting administrator "as an interim step toward gaining control and better understanding over the agency's activity," the state department said in a press release.
USAID has "long strayed from its original mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad," the statement read.
"As we evaluate USAID and ensure it is in alignment with an America First agenda and the efforts of the State Department, we will continue to protect the American people's interests and ensure their tax dollars are not wasted."
Rubio told reporters in El Salvador that he would delegate day-to-day oversight of the agency to an official who has not yet been named.
USAID, the U.S. government's lead humanitarian aid agency, funds initiatives ranging from women's health in conflict zones and clean water access to HIV/AIDS treatment, energy security, and civil society.
During Trump's first days in office, the administration announced a 90-day freeze on all foreign assistance, effectively halting USAID's programming and threatening vital development projects worldwide.
Musk, head of the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) and world's richest man, has called USAID "a criminal organization." He claimed on Feb. 3 that Trump "agreed that we should shut (the agency) down."
USAID staff were instructed to stay away from the agency's Washington headquarters and over 600 employees were locked out of the computer network, the Associated Press reported.
Democratic lawmakers have assembled outside USAID headquarters to protest Trump's attacks on the agency.
Senator Chris Van Hollen said the takeover of the agency constituted an "illegal power grab" and "a corrupt abuse of power."
Since Russia's full-scale invasion, USAID has provided $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion in development assistance, and over $30 billion in direct budget support to Ukraine.
This funding has helped rebuild schools, finance bomb shelters, and equip hospitals with advanced medical equipment.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
