U.S. President-elect Donald Trump rode a wave of promises to shake up the Washington political establishment to victory in the election. Now he is tasked with appointing the agency and department leaders who will execute on that plan.
Trump has been quiet so far about what he has in store for the U.S. government’s foreign aid agencies. While many in the U.S. development community hope for the best, they are also keeping a close eye on Trump’s pick for the U.S. government’s top development job.
USAID is ready, but still waiting, for the Trump transition
Donald Trump's landing team hasn't arrived at the U.S. Agency for International Development yet, leaving sitting aid officials to wonder whether they'll have time to brief the incoming administration in person or whether their written briefings will have to do.
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s administrator oversees a $20 billion portfolio of foreign aid projects and directs a global bureaucracy with more than 60 international missions. Trump’s choice of whom to nominate for the role could reveal a lot about how his administration will position foreign aid within a broader foreign policy architecture — and what U.S. development cooperation might look like for the next four years.
Click through the slideshare above to see eight possible picks for the Trump administration’s USAID chief.
Stay tuned to Devex for more news and analysis of what the Trump administration will mean for global development. Read more coverage here and subscribe to The Development Newswire.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
