How the closure of USAID will affect the allocation of global official development assistance

One of the first executive orders signed by President Trump in his second term suspended the operations of the US Agency for International Development, USAID, for 90 days. On 23 February 2025, the US government placed almost all USAID staff on administrative leave, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was appointed administrator of the agency on 3 February, announced on 10 March that 83% of the programmes managed by the Agency would be scrapped and the vast majority of staff would be laid off. The remaining programmes will be managed directly by the State Department.