Trump Plans to Use $2.5 Billion to Close USAID and Let Other Aid Money Run Out

Two top Democratic senators are speaking out against the Trump administration's plan to redirect billions of dollars in foreign aid. Senators Patty Murray of Washington and Brian Schatz of Hawaii warned on Tuesday that the White House wants to use $2.5 billion to pay for closing down a major U.S. aid agency. They also said the administration plans to let hundreds of millions of dollars in other aid money expire — meaning it would go unspent — by the end of the fiscal year on September 30.

The agency being shut down is called the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. It is the main U.S. government agency that sends aid to people around the world. President Trump has been working to dismantle USAID throughout his second term in office. The $2.5 billion being used to close it includes $1.3 billion that Congress set aside for global health programs and $1.2 billion for development assistance, which helps poorer countries grow and improve.

The senators also warned that $725 million more could expire next week if the administration does not spend it in time. That money was meant for several important programs. It includes $115 million to fight the international drug trade and prevent human trafficking, $310 million to help countries in Europe and Eurasia resist pressure from Russia, and $300 million for programs that support economic growth and American competitiveness around the world.

Murray and Schatz said Congress never gave Trump the power to spend that money however he wants. In a joint statement, they said Congress "did not hand Trump a checkbook to spend on whatever he pleases while blocking funding for everything else." They urged Republican lawmakers to join them in demanding that the money be spent the way Congress intended before the deadline next week. The White House did not respond when asked for comment.

Some Republicans have also pushed back on how the administration has been handling federal money this year. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, sent a letter on Tuesday to White House budget director Russ Vought and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya. She urged them not to follow a plan that would put political appointees in charge of deciding who gets NIH grant funding. Collins called the plan "contrary to congressional intent," meaning it goes against what Congress wanted.

There is more money at risk of expiring in the coming days, too. Hundreds of millions of dollars set aside for education programs could also go unspent. A federal judge has already ordered administration officials to report back next week on what happened to that money. The judge's order came as part of a lawsuit filed by groups that receive grant money from the Education Department, showing that the legal and political fight over how federal dollars are spent is far from over.