Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that the Donald Trump administration has decided to cancel 83 per cent of the USAID programs after six weeks of review. In his X post in which he announced the crucial decision, Rubio thanked DOGE but did not mention Elon Musk with whom he reportedly had a major fallout.
“The 5200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States,” Rubio announced.
About the remaining programs, the Secretary of State said the administration is planning to oversee these programs more effectively under the State Department. “In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping (approximately 1000) to now be administered more effectively under the State Department,” Marco Rubio said.
“Thank you to DOGE and our hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform,” the secretary of state said without mentioning Elon Musk.
Elon Musk led the call to shut down USAID — the agency which provided humanitarian funds to war-ravaged countries. The decision drew a massive backlash with claims that this would have a huge impact on several global issues including global health, advocacy for democracy and disaster relief.
‘Good working with you’
Though Marco Rubio did not mention Elon Musk, Musk replied to Rubio’s post and commented that the decision to suspend 83 per cent USAID programs was tough but necessary. “The important parts of USAID should always have been with Dept of Statem” Elon Musk said adding that it was “good” working with Rubio.
Marco Rubio and Elon Musk recently had a major faceoff in the Cabinet Room of the White House as Elon Musk accused Marco Rubio of failing to slash his staff. Elon Musk scornfully said Marco Rubio did not fire anyone from his staff and probably the only person he fired was a staff member of Elon Musk’s DOGE.
Rubio did not keep silent and spoke about the 1,500 Stae Department officials who took early retirement. According to an account of the clash provided by the New York Times, Rubio asked Musk whether he wanted to rehire all of them so that Rubio could make a show of firing them again.
The acerbic exchange took place in front of Donald Trump who intervened and said Rubio was doing a great job.