United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has asked USAID’s Guatemala mission director for “patience” and “trust” as the agency is dismantled, according to a transcript of an embassy event obtained by Devex.
“The United States is not walking away from foreign aid. It’s not,” said Rubio, speaking at a closed-door meeting on Wednesday. “We’re going to continue to provide foreign aid and to be involved in programs, but it has to be programs that we can defend. It has to be programs that we can explain.”
USAID missions will need to undergo rapid-fire reviews to ensure their programs align with President Donald Trump’s “America First” framework, Rubio said — stating that he’s hoping to choose which “specially designated programs” will survive at USAID by Friday.
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.
