USAID web site and X account go darkish — RT World Information

The web site grew to become inaccessible on Saturday afternoon, displaying a message stating that the “server IP deal with couldn’t be discovered.” Later that day, the company’s X account additionally disappeared. The outage follows reviews that the Trump administration is contemplating putting USAID below the management of the State Division. 

Final week, Trump signed an government order freezing most US international help for 90 days, citing the necessity for a complete overview of how funds are allotted. The order states that “billions of taxpayer {dollars} movement to applications that don’t serve American pursuits and, in lots of instances, actively work in opposition to them.” The White Home has framed the transfer as a part of Trump’s “America First” coverage, aimed toward reducing wasteful spending and redirecting sources towards home priorities.

USAID, which oversees humanitarian and growth applications overseas, has been considerably impacted. The company spent over $60 billion on international help in 2023 alone.

On Friday, Reuters reported that the Trump administration is planning to strip USAID of its independence and place it below the management of the State Division. Based on sources acquainted with the discussions, the Nationwide Safety Council has hosted conferences on the difficulty, and authorized choices are being explored for Trump to subject an government order formalizing the merger. Some officers imagine the order could possibly be signed as early as this weekend. Pictures of USAID headquarters reviewed by Reuters confirmed that indicators bearing the company’s official seal had already been eliminated.

Critics have condemned the proposed reorganization, with Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate International Relations Committee, warning that such a transfer may face authorized challenges.

“A president can not get rid of an appropriated federal company by government order. That’s what a despot – who needs to steal the taxpayers’ cash to counterpoint his billionaire cabal – does,” Murphy wrote in a submit on X on Friday.

US-based billionaire Elon Musk, who’s advising Trump on downsizing the federal authorities, reacted by saying: “Dwell by government order, die by government order.”

USAID was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy by way of an government order, consolidating varied international help applications below one company. Its mission has been to advertise financial development, reply to humanitarian crises, and advance U.S. nationwide safety pursuits globally.

Nonetheless, the company has confronted rising criticism over its effectiveness, with specialists questioning whether or not its help applications obtain their meant targets.

“About 98 p.c of USAID grants pay for actions and never outcomes,” Walter Kerr, co-executive director of Unlock Assist, mentioned earlier this month. “Lower than 10 p.c of our international help {dollars} flowing by way of USAID is definitely reaching these communities.”