The federal government’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has largely left the agency unable to oversee billions in unspent aid, according to a Feb. 10 watchdog report.
The federal government has paused most USAID programs, except for life-saving assistance, and placed many employees on leave after President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending foreign aid while a review is conducted.
Oversight operations for $8.2 billion in unspent aid are “now largely nonoperational given these recent directives and personnel actions,” the USAID Office of Inspector General said in the report.
While a federal judge has issued an order pausing the directive to place many USAID workers on leave, that order “does not obviate, at this time, concerns regarding the capacity of BHA staff to work with implementing partners to protect and distribute humanitarian assistance commodities and conduct vital oversight of taxpayer-funded programs,” the inspector general added….