On Tuesday, additional details regarding the “fold in” of USAID, the federal agency responsible for managing development assistance and foreign aid, were revealed by the United States Department of State.
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Secretary Marco Rubio recently announced a reorganization of the State Department. Spokesperson Tammy Bruce explained at a press briefing how this move would improve the department’s efficiency.
According to Bruce, instead of being a “monolithic entity” in Washington, D.C., that decided on aid and recipients unilaterally, merging USAID with the State Department “makes perfect sense.”
In reference to Rubio’s meetings with government officials, embassies, and consulate employees, Bruce stated, “The usual experience is that you would have donations or funding for a project that the country itself was not interested in or did not want.”.
The spokesman emphasized the finding that prior to disbursing funds, USAID frequently neglected to consult important stakeholders in a particular nation, including U.S. ambassadors and embassy workers.
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She disclosed that ambassadors would oppose or witness funds flowing into nations for purposes that were harmful to the country they were collaborating with.
According to Bruce, the present plan calls for each regional bureau to have the appropriate USAID component, which will encourage cooperation and make sure that aid is tailored to each region’s specific needs.
In the future, it will be the responsibility of host governments, embassies, and ambassadors to make sure that donated funds are used for the right things.
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“That is basically the direction USAID is heading in,” she stressed. “It was never about us shirking our responsibility to provide funds, aid nations, and work to save lives.”
U.S. embassies, beneficiary nations, and stakeholders will be consulted before any action is taken, according to Bruce’s new functional structure that will govern USAID’s activities.