Trump administration to cut all USAID overseas roles in dramatic restructuring

The Trump administration will eliminate all USAID (United States Agency for International Development) overseas positions worldwide by September 30 in a dramatic restructuring of remaining US foreign aid operations, Report informs via The Guardian.

In a Tuesday state department cable obtained by the Guardian, secretary of state Marco Rubio ordered the abolishment of the agency’s entire international workforce, transferring control of foreign assistance programs directly to the state department.

The directive affects hundreds of USAID staff globally, including foreign service officers, contractors and locally employed personnel across more than 100 countries. Chiefs of mission at US embassies have been told to prepare for the sweeping changes to occur within four months.

“The Department of State is streamlining procedures under National Security Decision Directive 38 to abolish all USAID overseas positions,” the cable reads, adding that the department “will assume responsibility for foreign assistance programming previously undertaken by USAID” from June 15.

Among those who cleared the cable was Howard Van Vranken, a former ambassador to Botswana.