The Trump administration notified Congress on Friday that, after months of cuts, it is effectively shuttering what’s left of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the arm of the federal government that had been responsible for administering foreign aid and development funding, fighting poverty and disease around the world.
The administration took aim at dismantling USAID soon after Trump returned to office, slashing funding and staff. It said Friday that it would absorb some remaining functions into the State Department and discontinue others that it says don’t align with its priorities. It reportedly notified the agency’s remaining employees that their positions will be eliminated, with the reorganization to be done by July 1.
The agency, which had employed about 10,000 people just a few months ago, will now be reduced to some 15 legally required positions, The New York Times reports.
“Unfortunately, USAID strayed from its original mission long ago. As a result, the gains were too few and the costs were too high,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. “Thanks to President Trump, this misguided and fiscally irresponsible era is now over.”
The move to shutter an agency created by Congress without legislative approval is expected to face legal challenges.