For the U.S. development community, 2025 will go down in history as a year of unprecedented change. We expected major reform; we got all-out upheaval. From the moment the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, descended on federal agencies and President Donald Trump issued executive orders demanding a sweeping rethink of U.S. foreign assistance, the sector has absorbed one earth-shaking blow after another.
Amid the disruption and rapid-fire reorganization, it hasn’t always been clear who is calling the shots. Elon Musk’s reign of demolition came to an abrupt end. Since then, political appointees, special advisers, and a slew of “acting” officials have jockeyed for influence and watched their stock rise and fall.
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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.
