The stunning breadth and torrid pace of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s downfall in 2025 still stings for many in 2026. But it’s been dulled by a determination to move forward — both on the part of the Trump administration that dismantled USAID and those still feeling its effects.
Whether that momentum represents progress or regression will be the subject of fierce debate for years to come.
That debate was the subject of a Jan. 29 Pro Briefing where Devex reporters Michael Igoe, Elissa Miolene, and Adva Saldinger reflected on last year while looking ahead to this year.