United States Agency for International Development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was the United States Government agency which was primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid.

Background
President John F. Kennedy created USAID from its predecessor agencies in 1961 by executive order. USAID's programs were authorized by Congress in the Foreign Assistance Act, which Congress supplements through directions in annual funding appropriation acts and other legislation. Although it was technically an independent agency, USAID operated subject to the foreign policy guidance of the President, Secretary of State, and the National Security Council. 

USAID operated in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

In February 2025, Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, announced the intention of shutting down USAID.

After the shut down was announced, the USAID website and its public document library, called the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC), was also taken offline. Some of these documents have been saved and are now available on an independent website Independent DEC Archive (usaid.onl)

 List of Administrators 
No. Administrator Tenure President(s) served under1Fowler Hamilton1961–1962John F. Kennedy2David E. Bell1962–1966John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson3William Gaud1966–1969Lyndon B. Johnson4John A. Hannah1969–1973Richard Nixon5Daniel Parker1973–1977Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford6John J. Gilligan1977–1979Jimmy Carter7Douglas Bennet1979–19818M. Peter McPherson1981–1987Ronald Reagan9M. Alan Woods1987–1989Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush10Ronald Roskens1990–1992George H. W. Bush11J. Brian AtwoodMay 10, 1993 – 1999Bill Clinton12J. Brady AndersonAugust 2, 1999 – 200113Andrew NatsiosMay 2001 – January 14, 2006George W. Bush14Randall L. TobiasMarch 31, 2006 – April 27, 200715Henrietta H. ForeNovember 14, 2007 – January 20, 200916Rajiv ShahJanuary 7, 2010 – February 19, 2015Barack Obama17Gayle E. SmithDecember 2, 2015 – January 20, 201718Mark GreenAugust 7, 2017 – April 10, 2020Donald Trump—John Barsa (acting)April 11, 2020 – November 6, 202019Samantha PowerApril 29, 2021 – January 20, 2025Joe Biden—Jason Gray (acting)January 20, 2025 – February 3, 2025Donald Trump—Marco Rubio (acting)February 3, 2025 – present

References

Other websites


 Agency for International Development in the Federal Register
 Records of the Agency for International Development (AID) in the National Archives
 USAID Development Innovation Ventures 
 Archived USAID documents (independent reconstruction)

Category:1961 establishments in the United States
Category:Executive branch of the United States government