US President Donald Trump has appointed his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio as the acting United States Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator.
The move follows a planned review of USAID’s foreign assistance activities and a potential reorganisation of its priorities.
“As an interim step toward gaining control and a better understanding of the agency’s activity, President Donald J. Trump appointed Secretary Marco Rubio as Acting Administrator,” the State Departments said on Monday.
“Secretary Rubio has also now notified Congress that a review of USAID’s foreign assistance activities is underway with an eye towards potential reorganization."
It says once the review is done they will ensure it aligns with an America First agenda.
“The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has long strayed from its original mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad, and it is now abundantly clear that significant portions of USAID funding are not aligned with the core national interests of the United States.”
The future of the US government's main overseas aid agency has been cast into doubt in recent days.
US President Donald Trump and one of his top advisers, billionaire Elon Musk, have been strongly critical of USAID and are reportedly considering abolishing it altogether - a move which could have a profound impact on humanitarian programmes around the world.
On Sunday, Musk said the Trump administration would close the USAID as employees had been told to stay home on Monday amid uncertainty about its future.
The agency's website has not worked since Saturday.
President Trump was, however, less definitive about the agency, telling reporters on Sunday night that USAID was run by "a bunch of radical lunatics".
"We're getting them out," he said, "and then we'll make a decision."
Over the last week, Musk railed against USAID as he sought to assert control over the agency.
On X, the social media platform that he owns, he called it "evil" and a "criminal organisation". In a live stream on X early Monday, he told followers, "You've got to get rid of the whole thing. It's beyond repair. ... We're shutting it down."
