The future of the USAID remains uncertain in the middle of the Trump funding frost

Only a week after the Trump administration launched an almost total freezing of American foreign aid, the future of the American agency for international development – the agency at the heart of American humanitarian assistance operations Foreign – remains uncertain.

Trump administration officials actively discuss the place of the USAID under the authority of the State Department, according to more than a dozen current and former officials and familiar sources with the discussions, still paralyzing an agency that has already been on his knees.

During last week, hundreds of USAID employees and subcontractors were dismissed or summoned, nearly 60 senior career leaders of the agency were sidelined and the US foreign missions were put on arrival. Thousands of related jobs are also threatened with leave or dismissal in the coming days.

Friday, important signs in the Hall before the headquarters of the Washington agency seemed to have been deleted, leaving those who are always used to prepare for the possibility that USAID stops completely.

“It is imperative that we maintain an independent voice and development capacity within the United States government. USAID is, by status, an independent establishment outside the State Department, ”wrote Democratic representatives of Jeanne Shaheen of the New Hampshire and Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Democratic representatives. Gregory Meeks from New York and Florida Frankel Laws in a statement on Friday. “Any proposition aimed at modifying this structure would require an act of the congress.”

“A president cannot eliminate a federal agency appropriate by decree,” warned Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., In a position on X.

Despite a fast -fire social networks storm appointing dozens of secretaries, ambassadors, special envoys and main advisers before taking office, President Donald Trump has not yet appointed a leader for the Federal Humaninian Aid Agency.

According to several sources that have spoken with NBC News, the agency’s workforce reduced was widely directed by Pete Marocco, which was installed by the Trump administration as head of the office of the Foreign Aid of the Department Department state. Marocco held several national security positions under the previous Trump administration, notably at USAID, where its attempts to consolidate power and the funding for reduction of those responsible have pushed officials to write a dissent note that ultimately pushed it Out of office, the sources said.

“What he does now is terrible similar to everything he was trying to do in Usaid before, but this time he destroys it,” said a familiar USAID official with his past actions.

The detractors of the Trump administration’s decision to take a break from American foreign aid and considerably reduce the size of the USAID argue that cuts under the banner of “America First” ultimately benefit American opponents.

“Trump’s USAID purge and a foreign help break are already harmful to efforts to provide help and growth in the world of China at our expense,” Senator Chris Van Hollen said on Friday. ,,

“He actually puts the vision of Trump’s foreign policy and Rubio in danger,” said another USAID official at NBC News, warning: “If you kill an institution, you are not going to relaunch it day the following day.”

The State Department and the USAID did not immediately respond to requests for comments from NBC News.

Project 2025, the vast report launched by the Heritage Foundation and dozens of other conservative organizations aligned by Trump, foreshadowed the measures that Moroccoco made, including the decision to place nearly 60 career civil servants in matters of the policy of the USAID and agents of the external service on administrative leave.

The 2025 project document said that USAID should “make a pilot test” the transformation of these civil servant positions in unnamed political roles and described a wider effort to consolidate the USAID.