WASHINGTON: The website of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) abruptly went offline on Satur-day, raising fresh concerns over President Donald Trump’s sweeping freeze on foreign aid and devel-opment funding. The blackout comes as thousands of USAID employees face furloughs and layoffs amid a broader crackdown on US global assistance.
The Trump administration has imposed a 90-day freeze on billions of dollars in humanitarian, develop-ment, and security aid, triggering a heated political confrontation with congressional Democrats. Critics fear that Trump is attempting to dismantle USAID as an independent entity, folding it into the State Department—a move they argue exceeds presidential authority. Congressional Democrats have warned that the elimination of USAID would represent a fundamental shift in US foreign policy, undermining national security. Senator Chris Murphy took to social media, accusing Trump of instigating a “constitutional crisis.”
“That’s what a despot—who wants to steal the taxpayers’ money to enrich his billionaire cabal—does,” Murphy stated on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, Trump and his allies argue that much of USAID’s funding is misallocated to wasteful pro-jects or liberal social agendas. Billionaire Elon Musk, an informal Trump adviser, endorsed calls for dis-mantling the agency, posting on X: “Live by executive order, die by executive order.”
USAID, created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, has long been central to American soft power, countering Soviet and, more recently, Chinese influence. China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative now challenges US global aid dominance, adding urgency to the debate over USAID’s future. –Agencies
