USAID Website and Social Media Goes Dark Amid Trump’s Foreign Aid Pause

The Trump administration is overhauling USAID and may bring it under the control of the State Department

The website and X account for the US Agency International Development (USAID) went offline on Saturday amid President Trump’s pause on foreign aid as reports say his administration may bring USAID under the State Department.

Funding to USAID has been paused for a 90-day review period that is being overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to a report from Reuters, the Trump administration is considering scaling down USAID and putting it under the State Department.

The overhaul from USAID has reportedly faced resistance from its employees. CNN reported that two senior USAID officials were suspended after refusing to let members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access the agency’s systems and files.

While USAID presents itself as an aid organization that helps those in need in foreign countries, in reality, it is a soft power arm of the US and its intelligence agencies. Much of the USAID’s spending goes toward funding political parties and opposition groups that the US prefers, as well as media outlets.

For example, the pause on foreign aid cut funding to more than 30 Iranian opposition organizations and media outlets, according to BBC Persia. The pause also impacted many pro-NATO Ukrainian media outlets.

Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, outlined how many foreign governments view USAID in a post on X.

“Most governments don’t want USAID funds flowing into their countries because they understand where much of that money actually ends up. While marketed as support for development, democracy, and human rights, the majority of these funds are funneled into opposition groups, NGOs with political agendas, and destabilizing movements,” Bukele wrote on X.

“At best, maybe 10% of the money reaches real projects that help people in need (there are such cases), but the rest is used to fuel dissent, finance protests, and undermine administrations that refuse to align with the globalist agenda. Cutting this so-called aid isn’t just beneficial for the United States; it’s also a big win for the rest of the world,” he added.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.