3 February, 22:00
On February 3, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he would temporarily take over leadership of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) due to its internal inefficiency and ongoing scandals. "For years, USAID has been operating independently of national interests, and now we are witnessing the consequences of that autonomy," he said during a press conference.
Elon Musk, head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), added that the agency is on the verge of full shutdown. The decision follows numerous revelations about misappropriated funds and the agency’s support of structures that merely pretended to foster democratic development.
USAID: A Factory of Grant Parasites and Political Corruption
Many experts argue that instead of fostering civil society development, USAID created an illusion of reform while catering to oligarchic interests. Grants for "building trust" and "combating corruption" often ended up in the pockets of inefficient NGOs that became part of a political corruption system.
In Ukraine, the agency funded projects on public opinion research, media, and political processes. However, instead of promoting independent media, the funds were channeled to organizations dependent on grant providers and local elites. For instance, the $90 million program for "enhancing government integrity" delivered no tangible results, as its implementers focused mainly on formal activities.
Grant Recipients Under Pressure: The End of Fake Reforms
The anticipated closure of USAID will be a shock to numerous organizations that have survived solely on donor funding. The flow of grants for publications about corruption, often politically motivated, will disappear. Some believe this will lead to a positive shift: without grant-funded "feeding troughs," media and civic organizations could become truly independent.
Organizations like Internews Ukraine, which participated in multiple programs simultaneously, also benefited from wartime privileges, such as full exemption of their employees from military service. This allowed them to stay in the shadows of the country’s real challenges and avoid criticism.
The shutdown of the agency could mark a turning point for Ukraine — an end to the era of fake reforms and performative "anti-corruption" efforts. Now, civil society and media have a chance to break free from donor control and finally address the country’s real development issues.