By Wallace White, Daily Caller News Foundation | February 26, 2025
The Trump State Department has already saved taxpayers billions of dollars after cutting a slew of grants, according to an internal memo provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation by a senior State Department official.
Roughly $60 billion has been saved after the department cut over 4,000 ongoing grants worth nearly $4.4 billion, as well as another $54 billion in multi-year awards overseen by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), according to the memo. The move is a continuation of the Trump administration’s crusade against wasteful spending spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has effectively hollowed out USAID and left the agency’s future in limbo.
“President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to ensure every dollar spent by the federal government is advancing our national interests. Secretary Rubio is leading the way at the State Department and has spearheaded a rigorous review process of all federal funds spent at this agency,” a senior State Department official told the DCNF. “In just weeks, he has identified $60 billion in savings for taxpayers. This is significant and will help the Department focus on America-First priorities, critical to promoting our diplomacy around the world.”
Funding was retained for “critical awards” under USAID, including “food assistance, life-saving medical treatments for HIV, TB, and malaria; and critical support for nations like Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela, Cuba and others,” according to the memo. The State Department focused on “commonsense” funding eliminations, which they hope will help “tailor subsequent programs more closely to Administration priorities.”
After conducting a 90-day review and abiding by court rulings on the cutting of certain programs, the department went on to identify numerous initiatives for termination, according to the memo. The document did not specify what programs had been terminated.
USAID was found to have given a myriad of questionable grants under former President Joe Biden’s administration, such as buying 65.5 million condoms, 9.8 million injectable birth control products and 334,000 IUDs in fiscal year 2022 to facilitate family planning in the third world. Additionally, both the State Department and USAID were found to have granted money to numerous left-wing nonprofits that busted left-wing rioters out of jail, including the Tides Foundation and Tides Center.
Moreover, the Biden State Department authorized a $75 million payment to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) despite widespread concerns that the funds could be co-opted by Hamas. It was eventually confirmed by a UN spokesperson that UNRWA staff “likely” in the Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
The memo said the cuts are in line with Rubio’s commitment to make sure all dollars spent make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous.
Wallace White is a contributor at the Daily Caller News Foundation
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