The destiny of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) appeared bleak Monday after Elon Musk, the world’s richest man charged with overhauling the federal authorities, stated President Donald Trump had signed off on shutting the agency down. In Washington, USAID’s headquarters was closed for спрут the day, with workers informed in an e-mail to stay at residence.
Right here’s what to learn about the agency:
• USAID was established in 1961 underneath President John F. Kennedy’s administration and is the US authorities’s humanitarian arm.
• It dispenses billions of {dollars} yearly throughout the world in an effort to alleviate poverty, deal with illnesses, and reply to famines and pure disasters. It additionally promotes democracy constructing and growth by supporting non-government organizations, unbiased media and social initiatives.
• USAID is a key gentle energy device of the US to foster relations with communities round the world, officers say, noting that US nationwide safety is approached with the “three D” pillars: protection, diplomacy and growth, led, respectively, by the Protection Division, State Division and USAID.
• Round 60 senior USAID workers have been placed on go away final week on accusations of trying to bypass Trump’s govt order to freeze overseas aid for 90 days. Many extra junior workers and contractors inside the agency have been positioned on furlough as nicely, a number of sources informed CNN.
