The possible decision by Donald Trump’s administration to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reflects an ideological agenda rather than a genuine concern for cost reduction, according to Maiara Folly, Executive Director of Plataforma CIPÓ.
In a live interview with GloboNews, Folly questioned the economic argument used to justify the agency’s closure. USAID is responsible for 40% of all global humanitarian aid.
“This cost-cutting argument doesn’t hold up because, if we look at U.S. military spending, for example, it remains extremely high. In terms of the U.S. budget, we’re talking about a very small fraction. The motivation behind this decision is much more ideological. The Trump administration is strongly opposed to issues related to women’s rights and migrants’ rights,” she stated.
In the early hours of February 3, Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Expenditure Reduction (DOGE), declared that USAID should be shut down and claimed that the U.S. president had agreed to the measure. Hours later, agency staff received a notice instructing them not to report to the organization’s headquarters in Washington, which remained closed.
USAID is one of the main arms of U.S. foreign policy and plays a central role in funding humanitarian and development programs worldwide. The agency’s closure could have significant impacts on international cooperation, particularly in Global South countries that rely on this support to tackle humanitarian crises, climate change, and structural challenges..
