Secretary of State Marco Rubio conducted a thorough review of grants and awards at the State Department and USAID that has resulted in $60 billion in savings for taxpayers, a source within the Department tells The Daily Wire.
“The State Department evaluated over 9,100 grants worth over $15.9 billion,” an internal government document obtained by The Daily Wire reads. “At the conclusion of an exhaustive review led by career FSOs and reviewed by senior political leadership, including the Secretary, over 4,100 grants worth nearly $4.4 billion were identified for elimination — a 28 percent reduction in total grant value over the course of the 15-day review.”
More than 6,000 multi-year awards were reviewed within USAID that had more than $58 billion left in value waiting to be paid out.
“At the conclusion of a process led by USAID leadership, including tranches personally reviewed by the Secretary, nearly 5,800 awards with $54 billion in value remaining were identified for elimination — a 92 percent reduction,” the document added.
The cuts came after a 90-day review of foreign assistance at the Department and USAID led by Rubio that aimed to gut wasteful spending within the government.
However, despite objections from the political Left and the media, not all programs were cut from USAID.
The secretary retained programs critical to protecting U.S. interests overseas, including food assistance; life-saving medical treatments for HIV, TB, and malaria; and critical support for nations like Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba, and others.
The Department now plans to work directly with Congress to reform how the United States delivers foreign assistance.
The effort will balance genuine humanitarian relief with the need to use taxpayer dollars wisely to advance American interests at home and abroad.
All spending will be run through a filter that asks if it makes America “safer,” “stronger,” and “more prosperous.”
