Devex Pro Insider: USAID 0.25? And Hollywood steps into the foreign aid fray

An exclusive breakdown for Pro members. Are we at a turning point where USAID is officially gone and its reincarnation within the State Department has begun in earnest? Our reporting indicates that we’re at least on the cusp of the end of the beginning. To wit, a plan has been circulating on how to reconfigure the roughly 17% of USAID programming that survived the guillotine of terminations this month. Critics say we’re simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, but at least there are concrete ideas about how foreign aid can be absorbed into the State Department to, in theory, maximize efficiency while preserving the most lifesaving services — all under a potentially new moniker: the U.S. Agency for International Humanitarian Assistance, or IHA. This newly minted IHA would have a “narrow mandate” focused on natural disasters, famines, disease outbreaks, and food security. We weigh the pros and cons in this must-read analysis. Another notable pivot took place this week as Peter Marocco announced he is moving on from his program-slashing role as USAID’s acting deputy administrator and returning to head up the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance. The name of that office, of course, suggests he may still be involved in foreign assistance, so we’ll see just how disengaged he becomes from the rebuilding process, but Marocco has named two lieutenants to pick up the baton at USAID, more on that below. On the legal front, a court struck down the Department of Government Efficiency’s razing of USAID as “likely” unconstitutional, although the victory for aid advocates could be moot because the judge said that while DOGE isn’t authorized to shutter the agency, someone in a position of proper authority — such as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — could do so. But, but — it does look like USAID implementing partners that sued the Trump administration for unpaid bills are seeing some money come in. But, but, but — no court ruling has thus far reversed the decision to terminate USAID staffers and some 83% of its programs, so we’re not really looking at USAID 2.0. It’s more like USAID 0.25. Also in today’s edition: Celebrities speak up in support of foreign assistance, and a political thriller takes place in the American capital that I’ve dubbed DOGE vs. USIP. Coming up: Don’t miss our next event on Tuesday, featuring panelists from across the political spectrum, as they reflect on the tsunami of changes at USAID over the last two months, from congressional action (or inaction) to the myriad legal challenges to where the agency goes next. Register now for the event. This is exclusively for Pro members. Bits and pieces Starstruck: Golden Globe-nominated actor Jason Isaacs took a break from talking up his role as a wealthy, self-centered businessman on the hit show “The White Lotus” to blast Trump’s foreign aid cuts. “If you decided that Medicaid wasn't working, would you shut down all treatment for every single person in America? Or would you go, ‘Let's review it while it's ongoing because we're saving people's lives,’” he said during an appearance on “Morning Joe.” “How do you take money away from the entire world, killing millions of people, taking their medicine away, and then go, ‘We'll review it, and we may give it back to you in a few months time, when you're dead.’ What is the logic behind that? Who voted for that?” Singing a different tune: A roster of famous country singers also stood up for foreign aid in a letter for One.org touting the legacy of the landmark U.S. HIV/AIDS initiative known as PEPFAR. They wrote: “23 years ago, President George W. Bush had the vision to bring together Republicans and Democrats to legislate a plan to stop the AIDS epidemic that was killing three million men, women and children a year. And we are on track to end the AIDS epidemic status by 2030.” They added: “But all that can change in the blink of an eye. If Congress decides to cut funding for PEPFAR, people will not receive their medication. The virus will rebound. Infections will multiply. Millions will die. And, the epidemic will grow exponentially worldwide, including a potential explosion in our own backyards.” Building animosity: We’ve been chronicling the tug of war over the U.S. Institute of Peace that would resemble an episode of “Madam Secretary” or “The Diplomat” if it weren’t so real — and raw to all those involved. USIP staffers (I don’t know whether to call them former or current at this point) have been fighting tooth and nail to keep their building — a striking piece of architecture in Washington, D.C., near the State Department — from falling into the hands of DOGE reps who say USIP is not a vehicle for peacemaking, but rather an incubator of partisanship. You have to check out my colleague Elissa Miolene’s blow-by-blow account of the drama that went down last week. Hushed voices: The U.S. Agency for Global Media, which houses Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia, and Radio Marti, has gone quiet after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the democracy-promoting media outfits to be shrunk to the minimum required by law. “For the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced,” Michael Abramowitz, the organization's director, said in a statement, noting that “virtually” the entire 1,300-person staff was placed on leave. Tributes began pouring in on LinkedIn, where many of the journalists are now looking for new jobs. “When I heard VOA’s broadcast for the first time I was 8-years-old. It brought the news my family and I would not get otherwise. It kept us informed and hopeful,” wrote Mayra de Lassalette, a multimedia VOA journalist who was put on administrative leave. “I never thought the radio would be silenced - not without warning, not without a proper goodbye to an audience that has been nothing but loyal for decades. We had built something to be proud of, a following that needed to be respected.” Love-ly pick-up note: Go on LinkedIn and you’ll be flooded with missives not only mourning the loss of U.S. foreign assistance but also praising and celebrating it. We can’t possibly feature all of the posts, but I thought it might be nice to highlight a “love letter” to the nonprofit Humentum written by its former CEO and president, Christine Sow, who left due to budget cuts. “The ‘powers that be’ have implemented changes that decimated our sector, but that does not mean we should question the value of the work we did together, or the lifesaving life-enhancing efforts carried out across our sector for the last 6 decades,” she wrote. “Even if the landscape appears bleak right now, this is the time to double down on our creativity, to discover and develop new avenues to continue making real change. When one door closes, another opens - or you open it yourself. Onward!” And some good news? Kind of? For the last several weeks, we’ve been reporting that 83% of U.S. foreign assistance has been cut — citing figures provided by Rubio. That figure seemed in keeping with the bleak mood of the aid sector, but it might not give the whole picture, according to fresh calculations from the Center for Global Development, which has been tracking leaked lists of canceled and retained contracts. Now, these lists come with many question marks, and it feels as if even CGD’s caveats have got caveats. But the headline announcement is that canceled awards are mostly smaller, and the retained ones are mostly larger, which means only 34% of the awards by value have been canceled. That’s still not great, obviously. And we don’t know for sure if it’s right. But it’s certainly a much more optimistic picture than the one that’s been painted up until now. Moving on Alexia Latortue has become a distinguished nonresident fellow at CGD. Most recently, she was assistant secretary for international trade and development at the U.S. Treasury, where she was the top policy adviser on climate, environment, and infrastructure; development finance and policy; trade and investment; and technical assistance. Latanya Mapp is stepping down from her role as president and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. “I look forward to continuing to teach the next generation of leaders at Columbia University,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “I will also continue to serve on foundation, non-profit, and private-sector boards, and focus on the work of protecting and promoting human dignity and human rights—the work of justice—in all the ways and places that I can.” As Peter Marocco steps back from his role as USAID acting deputy administrator, Jeremy Lewin, a staffer at DOGE, is set to become USAID’s deputy administrator for policy and programs, as well as the agency’s chief operating officer. Furthermore, Trump political appointee Kenneth Jackson will be both USAID’s deputy administrator for management and resources as well as its chief financial officer. Timothy Kurth is starting a new position as legislative affairs director at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, having previously served on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Loyce Pace is the new regional director for the Americas at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. She most recently served as assistant secretary for global affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she oversaw HHS’ engagement with foreign governments and international institutions. Conor Savoy, who formerly worked at USAID and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is starting a new position as a nonresident fellow at CGD. Coming up Nutrition for Growth in Paris, France. The French government will host this high-level conference on March 27 and 28 to mobilize resources and commitments to combat malnutrition, particularly in the critical 1,000-day window between conception and a child’s second birthday. N4G is held every four years in the country that most recently hosted the Olympic and the Paralympic Games. The previous summit, held in Japan in 2021, raised a record $27 billion from 181 organizations across 78 countries. This edition of the summit comes amid headwinds: Major international aid donors such as the U.S. and the U.K. are cutting foreign aid, and a traffic jam of replenishments for development funds means many countries’ tightening budgets are being pulled in multiple directions. Still, Brieuc Pont, the French diplomat charged with organizing the summit, remains optimistic. After all, he told Devex Senior Editor Tania Karas in December that nutrition is a kind of “magic wand” for development outcomes. “When you plant $100 million in nutrition-specific or nutrition-sensitive development policies, you get $2.3 billion in returns,” he said. Tania will be in Paris to cover the summit. To reach out, email her at tania.karas@devex.com. Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week: HNPW, happening from March 17 to 28, provides a unique forum for humanitarian networks and partnerships to meet and address key humanitarian issues. One of the largest humanitarian events of its kind, it gathers participants from the U.N., NGOs, member states, the private sector, the military, academia, and beyond to discuss and solve common challenges in humanitarian affairs. UN tax meeting: The 30th session of the U.N. Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters will take place on March 24 to 27 in New York City and will discuss options for strengthening tax policy and administration, improving domestic resource mobilization, and supporting sustainable development.