What is USAID? Explaining the U.S. foreign aid agency and why Trump and Musk want to end it

Canadian and Mexican leaders agree with Trump to pause tariffs, while Musk's DOGE faces legal challenges and USAID changes.

Dozens of senior officials were put on leave. Thousands of contractors were laid off. A freeze put on billions of dollars in humanitarian assistance to other countries.

Over the last two weeks, President Donald Trump’s administration has made significant changes to the U.S. agency charged with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas which has left aid organizations agonizing over whether they can continue with programs such as nutritional assistance for malnourished infants and children.

Then-President John F. Kennedy established the U.S. Agency for International Development, known as USAID, during the Cold War. In the decades since, Republicans and Democrats have fought over the agency and its funding.

Here’s a look at USAID, its history and the changes made since Mr. Trump took office.

Kennedy created USAID at the height of the United States’ Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union. He wanted a more efficient way to counter Soviet influence abroad through foreign assistance and saw the State Department as frustratingly bureaucratic at doing that.

Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act and Kennedy set up USAID as an independent agency in 1961.

USAID has outlived the Soviet Union, which fell in 1991. Today, supporters of USAID argue that U.S. assistance in countries counters Russian and Chinese influence. China has its own “belt and road” foreign aid program worldwide operating in many countries that the U.S. also wants as partners.