Behind the Scenes: The Sudden Shutdown of USAID

A top White House official, Susie Wiles, recently shared her shock over the quick shutdown of the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She spoke about this in a conversation with Vanity Fair. Wiles, who serves as the White House chief of staff, found it alarming how billionaire Elon Musk, who briefly worked with the Trump administration, led the charge to dismantle USAID. This agency is known for its humanitarian work around the globe. Wiles praised USAID's efforts, which contrasts with President Trump's view. Trump has called the agency "really corrupt. " The White House even has a webpage listing examples of what they call USAID's "waste and abuse, " but they don't provide proof. Wiles admitted she was surprised by the shutdown because she believed USAID did good work. After the interview, Wiles took to social media to criticize the article, calling it a "hit piece. " She said important details were left out. The White House did not comment on Wiles' remarks. On the day Trump took office, he ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid. This was to review if the funding aligned with his "America First" policy. Musk and his team quickly moved to dismantle USAID and other parts of the federal government. They fired thousands of people and suspended many government-funded grants. Wiles disagreed with this approach, saying it was not the way she would have handled it.The sudden halt in funding caused chaos at USAID. Operations around the world were stopped, putting life-saving food and medical aid at risk. The administration said they would provide waivers to ensure critical aid would continue. However, aid workers reported that many programs for the world's poorest people were either not restored or faced serious disruptions. For example, in Kenya, the stop in USAID funding disrupted the global supply of therapeutic food for severely malnourished children. Even after funding was restored, shortages were still seen in health clinics. Aid groups have reported deaths among malnourished children in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria due to the halt in U. S. -funded programs. Trump has said the U. S. pays too much for foreign aid and wants other countries to take on more of the burden. Several European countries have also cut back on aid to focus on domestic issues. U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly denied that anyone died as a result of the U. S. cuts.