USAID Website Goes Dark Amid Trump Administration’s Foreign Aid Freeze

Congressional Democrats escalated their opposition to the administration’s actions, voicing concerns that President Donald Trump may seek to dissolve USAID as an independent agency and merge it into the State Department. Lawmakers argued that Trump lacks the legal authority to eliminate a congressionally funded agency and warned that USAID’s work is critical to national security.

Trump and Republican lawmakers contend that many foreign aid programs are wasteful, frequently targeting initiatives they claim promote liberal social agendas. The administration’s suspension of billions of dollars in humanitarian, development, and security assistance has raised fears of further restrictions on USAID.

The United States spends less than 1% of its federal budget on foreign assistance—a smaller proportion than some other nations. Administration officials declined to comment Saturday when asked about concerns that USAID’s independent status could be revoked.

USAID was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to counter Soviet influence. Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act that year, with Kennedy signing both the law and an executive order formalizing USAID’s independence.

Internally, USAID staff monitored developments through online discussions on Friday and Saturday, sharing updates on whether agency signage remained displayed at headquarters in Washington. As of late Saturday, they were still in place.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, in a post on X, asserted that a president cannot unilaterally dissolve a congressionally funded agency. He warned that Trump was on the verge of escalating a "constitutional crisis."

“That’s what a despot—who wants to steal the taxpayers’ money to enrich his billionaire cabal—does,” Murphy wrote.

Billionaire Elon Musk, an adviser to Trump on federal government downsizing, endorsed posts advocating for USAID’s dissolution.

“Live by executive order, die by executive order,” Musk tweeted in reference to the agency.

On Jan. 20, Trump imposed an unprecedented 90-day freeze on foreign assistance, shutting down thousands of programs and forcing mass furloughs and layoffs. The order, implemented on Jan. 24, was drafted by Peter Marocco, a returning Trump appointee.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since taken steps to allow some emergency life-saving aid programs to continue. However, humanitarian groups report widespread confusion over which initiatives remain operational, leading to paralysis within global aid organizations.

In his first public remarks on the matter, Rubio said Thursday that USAID programs were under review to ensure they align with US national interests. However, he did not address whether the agency would be dismantled.

The freeze on US-funded aid, Rubio asserted, was yielding "a lot more cooperation" from recipient nations.

Republicans and Democrats have long clashed over USAID, debating whether its programs stabilize global partners or represent unnecessary spending. Republicans generally advocate for greater State Department control over USAID’s policies and funds, while Democrats seek to preserve its autonomy.

A similar dispute emerged during Trump’s first term, when he attempted to slash the foreign aid budget by one-third. After Congress rejected the cuts, the administration used funding freezes and other mechanisms to withhold congressionally appropriated aid. The Government Accountability Office later ruled that the maneuver violated the Impoundment Control Act.