USAID programmes good, but agency’s attitude is not: Marco Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday left the door open for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue its operations, but emphasized that the agency needs to reform and align its policies with the priorities of the administration and the State Department.

Rubio clarified that this is not about ending USAID’s programs, but about the agency’s operational approach. “There are things that it does that are good, and there are things that it does that we have strong questions about. It’s about the way it operates as an entity,” Rubio said, speaking to reporters in El Salvador.

He expressed concern about the agency’s independence, stating, “They’re supposed to take direction from the State Department, policy direction. They do not, do not take policy direction. They’re completely uncooperative.”

Rubio further criticized USAID’s attitude over the years, saying, “The attitude that USAID has adopted over the years is, no, we are independent of the national interest. We fund programs irrespective of whether it’s aligned or not aligned with foreign policy. That’s ridiculous. These are taxpayer dollars. Every penny that we spend in foreign aid needs to be in furtherance and aligned with the national interest and the national and foreign policy of the U.S.”

Earlier in the day, Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had cast doubt on the future of USAID, claiming that President Donald Trump had agreed to shut down the agency. “I went over it with him in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down,” Musk said on X, regarding his conversation with Trump.

Musk also referred to the agency as a “criminal.”

USAID, an autonomous body of the State Department founded in the 1960s, is one of the world’s largest official aid agencies, accounting for more than half of US foreign assistance.

President Trump had not publicly commented on Musk’s remarks, but his allies made it clear that the administration will pursue an “America First” approach on all issues. Rubio reiterated this principle in his first public remarks at the State Department after taking charge.

On Saturday, two senior USAID officials were removed from office for blocking DOGE officials from accessing certain rooms and floors at USAID’s Washington DC headquarters. The DOGE officials eventually gained access.

On Monday, USAID workers were notified via email that the agency would be closed, with personnel working remotely, except for those involved in essential on-site and building maintenance.

USAID has a long history of development work and partnerships, including in India. In recent years, it established 34 public-private partnerships, leveraging $380 million in additional financial resources. The latest data on USAID’s work in India was not immediately available.