United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was formerly the world's largest agency for foreign aid.[7] During the Cold War in 1961, USAID was established to compete with the Soviet Union through the use of soft power. In Februa Union through the use of soft power. In February 2025, the Trump administration first ordered a freeze on all non-life-saving programs and then ended 83% of overall projects.[2][8] In July 2025, the Trump administration announced that remaining USAID programs would be run by the State Department.[3][9][10] However, USAID had been reorganized by United States Congress as an independent agency in 1998, can only be closed down by an act of Congress, and remains the de jure of the United States until procedure complete.[4][5][11][12] In addition, budget requests,[13] the Office of Inspector General,[14] and court filings[15] have continued to acknowledge USAID's legal existence. From 2001 to 2024, USAID had an average budget of $23 billion a year and missions in over 100 countries in areas as diverse as education, global health, environmental protection, and democratic governance. In the twenty years from 2001 to 2021, USAID saved an estimated 92 million lives, including an estimated range of between 26 and 35 million among children under five.[7] ...view more