Marco Rubio Explains Why USAID Had to Be Shut Down | WATCH

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on Fox News tonight to explain the controversial decision to shut down USAID, a move that has sparked significant outrage among Democrats in Congress.

According to Rubio, the original plan was always to reform USAID. However, due to what he described as "rank insubordination," the administration was forced to take dramatic action to regain control. Rubio stated that officials within USAID had been entirely uncooperative, making it impossible to implement necessary changes.

Despite the shutdown, Rubio emphasized that foreign aid efforts managed by USAID must continue. The key question now is whether these programs will operate under a restructured USAID or be transferred elsewhere within the State Department.

The decision has ignited fierce debate, with supporters arguing that reforms were long overdue, while critics accuse the administration of dismantling vital aid initiatives without a clear plan.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that he is acting administrator of the US Agency for International Development, confirming the de-facto takeover of the humanitarian agency by the State Department.

Rubio said in a letter to lawmakers Monday he had delegated the authority of acting administrator to Pete Marocco, a Trump appointee who served at USAID in the president’s first term and has been accused by aid groups and officials of intentionally dismantling the organization.

Marocco, who is also serving as the State Department’s head of foreign assistance, drafted the directive to freeze almost all foreign aid. One aid official said that Marocco “knows how the system works and is dismantling it at every turn.”

The news came hours after Elon Musk, the world’s richest man charged with overhauling the federal government, said President Donald Trump had signed off on shutting the agency down. Democrats say that it is not legal for the president to shutter a federal agency without consulting Congress.

Rubio, in a letter to the heads of Congress’ committees on foreign affairs and appropriations Monday, said he had authorized Marocco “to begin the process of engaging in a review and potential reorganization of USAID’s activities to maximize efficiency and align operations with the national interest.”

“The Department of State and other pertinent entities will be consulting with Congress and the appropriate committees to reorganize and absorb certain bureaus, offices, and missions of USAID,” he wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by CNN.

Speaking to the press in El Salvador, Rubio said the “functions of USAID” must align with US foreign policy and that it is “a completely unresponsive agency.”

Speaking to the press in El Salvador Monday, Rubio was asked about the arguments that USAID’s work is vital to national security and promoting US interests.

“There are things that USAID, that we do through USAID, that we should continue to do, and we will continue to do,” he said.

“This is not about ending the programs that USAID does, per se,” he said. “There are things that it does that are good and there are things that it does that we have strong questions about.”

Rubio claimed his “frustration with USAID” went back to his time in Congress. In 2017, the former senator defended the importance of foreign assistance.

“Foreign Aid is not charity. We must make sure it is well spent, but it is less than 1% of budget & critical to our national security,” he wrote in a post on X at the time.

The longtime international aid agency has found itself in the crosshairs of Trump and Musk’s effort to reform the federal government. Trump and his allies have said the agency, created by Congress as an independent body, is overtly partisan. Democrats have rejected that assertion and say Trump does not have the authority to dismantle the agency.

Later Monday, Trump said he doesn’t need Congress to scrap the agency.

“Not when it comes to fraud. If there’s fraud, these people are lunatics,” Trump said when questioned by CNN’s Jeff Zeleny about his capacity to exact major changes to USAID.

“We just want to do the right thing. It’s something that should have been done a long time ago. Went crazy during the Biden administration. They went totally crazy what they were doing and the money they were giving to people that shouldn’t be getting,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

“We’ll be doing a report,” he went on. “We’ll be giving you that report at the appropriate time.”

Pressed about his support for USAID during his first term in office, Trump said he loved the “concept” but not the execution of the agency’s mission.

“They turn out to be radical left lunatics. And the concept of it is good, but it’s all about the people,” he said.

Lawmakers Warn of ‘Constitutional Crisis’

Democratic lawmakers reacted angrily to the Trump administration’s moves.

“Trying to shut down the Agency for International Development by executive order is plain illegal,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen said at a press conference in front of the USAID headquarters in Washington, DC, on Monday. “Elon Musk may get to be dictator of Tesla. And he may try to play dictator here in Washington, DC, but he doesn’t get to shut down the Agency for International Development.”

Sen. Chris Murphy called the moment “a constitutional crisis.” The Democratic lawmakers vowed to defend USAID against the “outrageous, scandalous, illegal maneuver,” in the words of Rep. Jamie Raskin. Rep. Gerry Connolly suggested they would fight the move in court.

‘Apocalypse at USAID’

Logos and photos of its aid work have been stripped from building walls. Its website and social media accounts have gone dark, replaced with a reduced version on the State Department’s site.

“It is the apocalypse at USAID,” one official said.

Employees were emailed at midnight instructing them not to come in Monday. Many have lost email and system access overnight, leaving them uncertain about their futures.

Fight Over Access to Sensitive Information

Over the weekend, two top security officials at USAID were placed on administrative leave for refusing members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to agency systems, despite threats to call law enforcement. DOGE personnel sought access to security systems, personnel files, and classified information, raising concerns among USAID officials.

USAID staff were also informed that the agency’s Google Drive is now accessible from the State Department, further escalating tensions over data security.

Watch the full interview below and share your thoughts on this developing situation.