U.S. President Donald Trump appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development USAID after Elon Musk promised to shut it down, reports The Times.

In confirming his appointment as acting director, Marco Rubio accused USAID officials of failing to respond to the new Trump administration's inquiries regarding their funding and priorities.

"This level of defiance makes it impossible to conduct a serious review," he told reporters during a visit to El Salvador. "This will stop, and it will come to an end."

Rubio stated that there are "many functions of USAID that are going to continue," but they "must align with American foreign policy."

"USAID has a history of somewhat ignoring this and deciding that they are somehow a global charitable organization, separate from national interests," he remarked.

Guards were instructed to prevent employees from entering the main USAID office after its closure. Rubio sent a letter to Congress informing that he had delegated authority to manage the agency to Peter Morocco, who prepared preliminary directives for freezing foreign aid. He will conduct a review and "potential reorganization."

The USAID website is unavailable after Musk, who leads Trump's initiative to cut spending, stated on Sunday that he would close the department that manages over $72 billion worldwide.

Trump clarified that Musk "cannot and will not" do anything without "our approval," but added that he believes the agency was taken over by "radicals."

"I like that concept, but they turned out to be radical left lunatics," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.

Musk has published numerous examples of foreign aid that he considers absurd, stating that less than 10% of its expenditures go to those who need it. He said on Monday that he spoke with Trump about the aid and development agency, and "he agreed that we should shut it down."

USAID Assistance

USAID is the world's largest donor with over 10,000 employees, providing 42 percent of all humanitarian assistance tracked by the UN last year. In 2023, USAID allocated $72 billion in aid, focusing on women's health in conflict zones, access to clean water, HIV/AIDS treatment, energy security, and combating corruption.

Field hospitals in Thai refugee camps, demining in combat zones, and medicines for millions suffering from diseases like HIV are among the programs at risk of closure.

After Ukraine, which received $16 billion, Ethiopia received the largest aid amounting to $1.7 billion in the 2023 fiscal year. More than $1 billion was allocated by USAID to Jordan, Afghanistan, and Somalia. Congo, Syria, Nigeria, Yemen, and South Sudan received between $740 million and $936 million in aid.