US Secretary of State will lead USAID; Trump promises to end questionable project funding.

President Donald Trump has appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the acting administrator of the USAID and has pledged to eliminate questionable project funding.

“As an interim measure to gain oversight and a clearer understanding of the Agency’s operations, President Trump has designated Marco Rubio as acting administrator of USAID,” the US State Department released in a statement.

The statement continues, saying that USAID “has long since diverged from its original mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad” and that “a significant portion of USAID’s funding does not serve the core national interest of the United States.” A review of USAID’s foreign aid activities is underway as the agency is evaluated for restructuring.

The White House has indicated that longstanding waste, fraud, and abuse issues burden USAID. The new US administration has listed among its “malicious projects” $1.5M for “promoting equality and inclusion in the workplace and business communities of Serbia,” $2.5M for electric cars in Vietnam, and $6M for financing tourism in Egypt, among others.