Over the last 48 hours, a draft executive order has made its way across Washington — one that would fundamentally change the operations and mission of the U.S. Department of State.
Nearly all the agency’s operations in Africa would be dissolved. Bureaus working on democracy, human rights, and refugees would be shuttered. And the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance — the team that coordinates all of the United States’ foreign aid programs, including those run by the now-dismantled U.S. Agency for International Development — would be eliminated.
The document states it would be a “disciplined reorganization.” And despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio claiming the draft — which was leaked to The New York Times by government officials on Sunday — was “fake news,” for many experts, it echoes what the government has been pushing for ever since President Donald Trump’s return to office: U.S. disengagement.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
