A government watchdog has warned that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has lost nearly all capacity to monitor $8.2 billion in unspent humanitarian aid.
This development follows the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign funding and widespread staff reductions.
According to USAID’s inspector general, the rapid dismantling of the agency has left oversight of aid programs "largely nonoperational." The watchdog report highlights concerns that this lack of oversight increases the risk of assistance falling into the hands of violent extremist groups or being misallocated in unstable regions and conflict zones.
The administration’s actions have “significantly impacted USAID’s capacity to disburse and safeguard its humanitarian assistance programming,” the inspector general reported. Additionally, the watchdog warned of the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian commodities, as staff were prevented from distributing supplies.
Despite these immediate concerns, the inspector general also pointed to longstanding weaknesses in USAID’s oversight mechanisms.
USAID’s Eviction and Staff Lockout
The administration’s dismantling of USAID extended beyond funding cuts. The General Services Administration (GSA) confirmed to The Associated Press that USAID had been stripped of its lease for its Washington, D.C., headquarters. Photo by Milad Mosapoor, Wikimedia commons.
