(Thérèse Boudreaux, The Center Square) U.S. Reps. Gregory Steube, R-Fla., and Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have each introduced bills that would immediately halt all federal funding to the United States Agency for International Development and transfer its essential responsibilities to the U.S. Department of State.
The legislation comes as USAID has paused its operations under a mandate from President Donald Trump, who on Feb. 3 appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to serve as the Acting Administrator of USAID. That same day, USAID staff were told not to report to the agency’s headquarters for work.
The Trump administration has been slashing what he says is wasteful government spending through the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. Greene, who is heavily involved in DOGE, called USAID a “slush fund” when introducing her bill.
“I just introduced a bill to abolish USAID, the Democrats’ taxpayer-funded slush fund used to push their radical agenda at home and abroad,” Greene said. “As Chairwoman of the DOGE Subcommittee, I’ve launched the War on Waste—and USAID is a major culprit lighting over $40 BILLION on fire each year.”
USAID’s annual budget is decided by Congress, which receives the agency’s specific funding requests. The agency has come under fire for its involvement in coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, in 2019, its alleged funding of gender ideology initiatives in South America and Syria, and its sponsoring of armed terrorist groups, among other things.
“For too long, USAID has funneled billions of American tax dollars into bloated, inefficient foreign aid programs that are riddled with waste, corruption and ideological bias,” Steube said. “American taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize misguided globalist experiments that do nothing to strengthen our country or protect our interests abroad.”
The text of both bills reads “Beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, no Federal funds may be made available to carry out any of the functions, duties, or responsibilities assigned or delegated to the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development.”
Not all Republican lawmakers are on board, however. Many argue that abolishing or greatly curtailing USAID will cede America’s global influence to adversaries like China and Russia.
Rep. Don Bacon, D-Neb., a vocal advocate for U.S. support of global allies like Ukraine and Israel, suggested USAID reform rather than replacement.
“There’s a role for USAID to help the most needy and to advance our national security interests, but its leadership took their eye off of their real mission,” Bacon posted on X. “New leadership is needed to fix these embarrassments.”
