• Pete Marocco, a political appointee focused on gutting USAID, departs after briefing the House Foreign Affairs Committee behind closed doors, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 (AP)

Pete Marocco, a former Trump administration official who was instrumental in dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has exited the State Department, according to a US official on Sunday.

Between January and March 2025, Marocco and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) oversaw the gutting of 83% of USAID contracts, shifting the remaining programs under the State Department, according to AP. 

"Pete was brought to State with a big mission — to conduct an exhaustive review of every dollar spent on foreign assistance. He conducted that historic task and exposed egregious abuses of taxpayer dollars," a senior administration official said.

"We all expect big things are in store for Pete on his next mission," the official added. Sources told Reuters that Marocco, who served as the State Department’s director of foreign assistance, may have been forced to step down, though they did not provide additional details.

As recently as Thursday, he held a "listening session" at the State Department to discuss the future of foreign assistance and seek input, according to a source familiar with the event and an invitation to the session seen by Reuters.

"I am going to return to my post as the Director of Foreign Assistance to bring value back to the American people", he said in an internal email when he returned to the State Department one month ago.

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii had a less favorable opinion of Morocco. He said, "Marocco's tenure brought chaos to USAID, reckless and unlawful policy to the State Department, and dismantled long-standing US foreign policy. His actions deprived millions of people around the world of life-saving aid and jeopardized US credibility with our partners. But with his exit, serious questions still remain about the influence he leaves behind." 

Cuts, reversals, and controversy under DOGE

Marocco’s exit marks a pivotal moment in the aftermath of sweeping foreign aid cuts, many of which have since been reversed under mounting pressure. 

Last February, the Trump administration launched mass layoffs at USAID, placing most staff on administrative leave and initiating a Reduction-in-Force affecting about 1,600 U.S.-based employees. 

By March 2025, the world saw the elimination of approximately 5,200 out of the agency’s 6,200 programs. That same month, a federal judge ruled that Musk and the Trump administration likely violated the US Constitution by shutting down USAID, ordering its reinstatement and blocking further dismantling efforts.

Subsequent reversals followed, with the State Department on April 9 reinstating cuts to emergency food aid in Somalia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Ecuador—just days after the Trump administration had notified the UN World Food Program of funding terminations in over a dozen countries, according to the Associated Press (AP). However, aid to Afghanistan and Yemen, both devastated by war, remains suspended.

Trump has made unproven claims that USAID is plagued by corruption and controlled by "radical left lunatics," while Elon Musk has labeled it a "criminal" organization. In February, Congressman Scott Perry accused USAID of inadvertently funding terrorist groups, intensifying scrutiny and reportedly leading the agency to pause its global operations.