In his latest effort to take down two of the government’s smallest aid agencies, U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Project 2025 architect Russell Vought — and current head of the White House’s budget office — to the boards of the U.S. African Development Foundation and the Inter-American Foundation.
The appointments come after a whirlwind few weeks at the agencies, both of which have been gutted — at various levels of success — by the Trump administration in recent weeks.
For more than 50 years, IAF has provided small grants to civil society organizations in Latin America. For nearly the same, USADF has funded small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs, businesses, and groups in Africa. Trump appointed Peter Marocco, the acting deputy administrator of USAID, as the president and board chair of both organizations. And while USADF’s president temporarily blocked that appointment by bringing Marocco to court, IAF has virtually disappeared.
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.
