In March, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that all programs previously managed by USAID will be absorbed by the Department of State, or DoS. But how much experience and skill does DoS have in funding development?
The U.S. is far from the first country to move its aid work into its foreign office. Other donors, such as Australia and Canada, have also gone through the same process. But what makes the U.S. different is how it did it so swiftly and with relatively little planning for how the transfer will affect existing projects.
Prior to the dismantling of USAID, the Department of State’s role mainly revolved around ensuring that all development activities carried out by USAID and other U.S. government agencies align with the country’s foreign policy objectives.