About This Lesson
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that implemented a 90-day freeze on aid to other countries. Since then, the offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have closed, staff have been furloughed, and there have been more funding freezes. The formerly semi-autonomous agency is now under the leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the new advisory body called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has targeted USAID and foreign aid when advocating for cutting the federal budget.