United States Agency for International Development
US government civilian foreign aid agency
Follow United States Agency for International Development on Notably News to receive short updates to your email — rarely!
| 2025 | The White House dramatically reduced USAID's staff from over 10,000 employees to fewer than 300, drawing criticism from former administrators who called it a costly foreign policy blunder. |
| 2025 | The Trump administration accused USAID of wasteful spending, highlighting twelve projects totaling approximately $400 million dating back to 2005. |
| 2025 | The second Trump administration announced sweeping changes to USAID, including a near-total freeze on foreign aid and potential shutdown of the agency. |
| February 7 2025 | U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols issued a temporary restraining order to pause the plan to put USAID employees on leave and remove them from their posts abroad, following a lawsuit by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees. |
| February 6 2025 | At 11:59 pm EST, most USAID direct hire personnel are placed on administrative leave. A lawsuit is filed by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees challenging the administration's actions. |
| February 3 2025 | Elon Musk announces plans to shut down USAID, calling it a 'criminal organization'. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces he has been appointed Acting Administrator and that USAID will be merged into the State Department. |
| February 3 2025 | Eduardo Bolsonaro responded to Benz's claims by accusing USAID of interfering in Brazilian democracy and proposing a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission to investigate. |
| January 27 2025 | The agency's official government website is shut down. |
| January 24 2025 | President Donald Trump orders a near-total freeze on all foreign aid, dramatically impacting USAID's operations. |
| 2024 | USAID donated approximately $3.23 million to BBC Media Action to support media development, journalism training, and public education initiatives in over 30 countries. |
| 2024 | USAID's Inspector General launches a probe into Starlink, operated by Elon Musk, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest. |
| 2024 | Researchers at George Mason University reported that allegations against HHRD were part of a broader campaign targeting American Muslim charities. |
| February 2024 | A report was released detailing the Office of Inspector General's investigation into the HHRD grant. |
| 2023 | USAID's Office of Inspector General launched an investigation into the agency's grant to HHRD due to allegations of terrorism-linked connections. |
| 2023 | USAID managed more than $40 billion in combined appropriations with a workforce of over 10,000 employees, with an exceptional increase of $16 billion in funds specifically for Ukraine. |
| November 10 2023 | Over 1,000 USAID employees signed an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing war. |
| October 2023 | USAID increased assistance during the Israel–Hamas war, providing more than $2.1 billion in aid to Palestinians since October 7. |
| August 2023 | USAID's Vetting Support Unit cleared Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) to receive a grant. |
| April 2023 | USAID signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) to improve food safety and sustainable food systems in Africa, focusing on benchmarking and standard harmonisation for food industry certification programmes. |
| 2022 | USAID was accused by Eduardo Bolsonaro of financing institutions involved in fighting against fake news during the Brazilian presidential elections. |
| 2022 | USAID significantly increased funding to Ukraine following the Russian invasion, providing nearly $9 billion in fiscal year 2022 to support the operation of Ukraine's government and civil society. |
| 2022 | USAID's total official development assistance increased, primarily due to support for Ukraine and increased costs for Afghan refugees, reaching US$55.3 billion and representing 0.22% of gross national income. |
| 2021 | USAID awarded $110,000 to Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), a Michigan-based charity later subject to investigation. |
| 2021 | Congressional Research Service released a report indicating that American farms supplied approximately 41 percent of USAID's food aid, highlighting the agency's role in supporting U.S. commercial interests through procurement policies. |
| April 2021 | USAID restarted assistance to Palestinians under President Biden's administration. |
| October 2020 | USAID provided $700,000 in emergency assistance to the government of Luis Arce to help fight wildfires in Bolivia. |
| 2019 | Ivanka Trump used over $11,000 from USAID to purchase video recording and reproducing equipment for a White House event. |
| January 31 2019 | USAID halted assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, reportedly at the request of the Palestinian Authority due to new U.S. anti-terrorism legislation. |
| 2018 | Melania Trump visited Africa, praising USAID's efforts and highlighting the agency's global humanitarian work. |
| June 2016 | USAID reported total staffing of 10,235 employees, including 1,850 Foreign Service officers, with 7,176 staff stationed overseas and 3,059 at the Washington, D.C. headquarters. |
| April 8 2014 | Rajiv Shah, the head of USAID, testified before the Senate Appropriations State Department and Foreign Operations Subcommittee regarding the ZunZuneo program. |
| April 3 2014 | The Associated Press published an investigative report revealing USAID's covert ZunZuneo social networking program aimed at creating political unrest in Cuba. |
| 2013 | The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International, Inc. that the anti-prostitution policy requirement violated the First Amendment's prohibition against compelled speech. |
| September 20 2013 | USAID completed the closure of its mission in Bolivia following President Morales' request made in May. |
| May 1 2013 | Bolivian President Evo Morales requested USAID to close its mission in Bolivia, which had been operating in the country for 49 years. |
| 2012 | By the end of the year, USAID had recruited a net of 820 Foreign Service officers, falling short of their goal to double staffing to 2,400 officers. |
| 2012 | USAID committed to ending preventable child and maternal deaths in a generation through 'A Promise Renewed' initiative, which continues to be followed up annually through reports to Congress. |
| 2012 | The ZunZuneo social messaging service was abruptly closed down, with USAID claiming the program ran out of money. |
| September 2012 | USAID closed its mission in Russia at the request of the Russian government, ending two decades of operations in Moscow. |
| June 2012 | ALBA countries (Venezuela, Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda) collectively called for the expulsion of USAID from their territories. |
| September 19 2011 | USAID and the Ad Council launched the 'Famine, War, and Drought' (FWD) campaign to raise awareness about the severe drought in East Africa. The campaign involved TV and internet ads, social media initiatives, and featured celebrity endorsements from Geena Davis, Uma Thurman, Josh Hartnett, and Chanel Iman. Corporations like Cargill, General Mills, and PepsiCo also supported the campaign to encourage Americans to support humanitarian relief efforts and explore broader solutions through the Feed the Future global initiative. |
| 2010 | ZunZuneo, a social messaging service created by USAID, was launched to build an audience in Cuba and potentially spark political dissent, ultimately gaining 40,000 followers. |
| 2010 | USAID provided short-term employment to over 350,000 Haitians, injecting more than $19 million into the local economy to support post-earthquake economic recovery. |
| 2010 | USAID supported Haitian farmers by helping more than 10,000 farmers double their crop yields for staples like corn, beans, and sorghum, contributing to agricultural recovery and food security. |
| 2010 | USAID committed nearly $42 million to combat cholera in Haiti, successfully decreasing hospitalization rates and reducing the case fatality rate. |
| January 2010 | After the Haiti earthquake, USAID launched a comprehensive relief effort, including providing safer housing for nearly 200,000 displaced Haitians, supporting vaccinations for over 1 million people, and clearing more than 1.3 million cubic meters of rubble. |
This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia article United States Agency for International Development, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.