Democrats Push Bill To Save USAID As Trump Pushes To Shut Down Aid Agency

A group of Democratic lawmakers is set to introduce legislation on Tuesday aimed at preventing the Trump administration from using government funds to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The bill asserts that only an act of Congress can dissolve USAID as an independent agency and mandates that any reforms follow legal procedures.

Led by Representative Sara Jacobs and co-sponsored by 15 other Democrats, the proposed measure would prohibit the administration from allocating federal funds to efforts aimed at shutting down USAID. This includes salaries for employees working on the agency’s elimination, such as those from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, as well as associated costs like covering USAID signage.

Despite potential challenges in the Republican controlled House and Senate, the bill, if enacted, would require the Secretary of State to certify compliance within 30 days and every five years thereafter.

USAID, the primary US humanitarian agency, became the first target of Musk’s initiative to reduce the size of the federal government. Jacobs stressed that dismantling USAID is already illegal but argued that the bill would add another layer of enforcement. “If they spend even a single US dollar on this effort, that’s an additional level of illegality,” she said.

Trump’s decision to freeze most US foreign aid on January 20 halted billions of dollars in lifesaving programs worldwide. USAID staff were placed on leave, its headquarters’ signage was covered or removed, and its website was taken offline. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was named acting administrator.

Last week, a US judge issued a temporary order partially blocking the administration’s actions, but USAID’s future remains uncertain. Established in 1961 by President John F Kennedy, the agency’s independent status prevents its dissolution without congressional approval, according to a Congressional Research Service report.