section_path: Abstract
section_name: Abstract
paragraph_text: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.
  
  Established in 1961 and reorganized in 1998, USAID has implemented programs in global health, disaster relief, socioeconomic development, education, environmental protection, and democratic governance. With average annual disbursements of about $23 billion since 2001, USAID has been one of the world's largest aid agencies and accounts for most U.S. foreign assistance — the highest in the world in absolute dollar terms — with missions in over 100 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
  
  The Trump administration is attempting to fully close the agency, pending several court cases. In early March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 83% of USAID programs would be cancelled. In late March, USAID executive Jeremy Lewin announced plans to fold the remaining programs into the State Department by July 1 "following congressional consultations".
  
  The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.
  
  Established in 1961 and reorganized in 1998, USAID has implemented programs in global health, disaster relief, socioeconomic development, education, environmental protection, and democratic governance. With average annual disbursements of about $23 billion since 2001, USAID has been one of the world's largest aid agencies and accounts for most U.S. foreign assistance — the highest in the world in absolute dollar terms — with missions in over 100 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
  
  The Trump administration is attempting to fully close the agency, pending several court cases. In early March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 83% of USAID programs would be cancelled. In late March, USAID executive Jeremy Lewin announced plans to fold the remaining programs into the State Department by July 1 "following congressional consultations".