Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is the acting administrator of the United States Agency for International Development after Department of Government Efficiency Chairman Elon Musk announced the Trump administration's plans to shut the agency down.
Over the past few days, the Trump administration made several moves to curtail the USAID, including putting two senior security officials on leave and closing the federal headquarters.
The lightning-fast moves to put the USAID under Rubio's control could mean the State Department is not properly staffed. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) responded to the Trump administration's moves by promising he would place a "blanket hold" on all future State Department nominees until the aid agency is freed up from the pressure campaign.
“I will oppose unanimous consent,” Schatz told the Wall Street Journal. “I will vote no. I will do maximal delays until this is resolved.”
Rebellion from the Senate is a first for Rubio, who sailed to confirmation on Trump's first day in office with a unanimous 99-0 vote to lead the country's foreign policy missions.
“At the direction of Agency leadership, the USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C. will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, February 3, 2025," an email sent to employees reads. "Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remotely tomorrow, with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership.”
On Sunday evening, while returning to Washington from Palm Beach, Florida, President Donald Trump shared his dismay with the agency.
“It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out,” Trump told reporters.
On X, Musk called the agency a "ball of worms."
“It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm in it,” Musk said in a live session on X Spaces early Monday. “What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.”
Since last week, logos and photos of the agency's aid work have been removed from the building walls, and over the weekend, its website and social media accounts were taken offline.
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Members of Congress have been highly critical of Trump and Musk’s moves with USAID. Ten Democratic senators signed a letter addressed to Rubio claiming that it would be unconstitutional to upend the agency without congressional approval.
“Any effort to merge or fold USAID into the Department of State should be, and by law must be, previewed, discussed, and approved by Congress,” the letter reads. "Congress has also made clear that any attempt to reorganize or redesign USAID requires advance consultation with, and notification to, Congress."
