March 20, 2025
Dear Friend,
Here’s where things stand with US foreign aid right now:
- The future of USAID is still being battled out in court. In the latest ruling, a judge found that Elon Musk likely violated the constitution in his dismantling of the agency by circumventing the will of Congress. He also ordered that USAID’s functions be partially restored.
- Both federal and Supreme Court rulings have ordered the Trump Administration to release foreign aid contract and grant funds. The status of those payments is still in limbo.
- A new memo from the Trump Administration details a potential plan for the future of US foreign aid, including renaming USAID the US Agency for International Humanitarian Assistance and significantly curtailing its mandate.
- The US Institute of Peace (USIP), the US African Development Foundation (USADF), and the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) were the target of a February 19th executive order. At this time, USIP and USADF are still the subject of court cases. IAF’s website has been shut down, its employees put on leave, and its grants canceled and recalled.
- The Trump Administration announced that it finished its “review” of all foreign assistance programs. Secretary Rubio said that 5,200 of USAID’s programs (83%) have been terminated, and the rest (approx. 1,000) have been moved under the purview of the State Department.
Things are still uncertain and continue to change by the hour. While the world prepares for a future where US foreign aid may be nonexistent or radically different, Roots of Development’s principles of practice remain the same and our commitment to our local partners is unwavering. For more information, check out the resources below:
Sincerely,
Chad Bissonnette
President & CEO