FINALLY, Winrock’s USD25 million SCALE program on Malaita has ended and the truth about the funding has emerged as a result of an executive order to shut down the agency.
US President Donald Trump issued the order to shut down the agency last week.
Of late, Winrock has moved away from its core activities. Instead, it has engaged in discussions with several tribal land groups on Malaita, encouraging them to go into cocoa and carbon trading investment, according to individuals involved in the discussions.
“Winrock will help fund the proposed investments. We were all excited, but now this is hard to swallow,” according to one.
In the United States, the Daily Mail online has reported that the United States Agency for International Development [USAID] has been ordered to shut down by Friday following Elon Musk’s effort to dismantle the government relief service he labelled a ‘criminal organization.’
The State Department is now working diligently to recall thousands of staff members in more than 100 countries across the world, two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
All overseas missions for the United States Agency for International Development were shut down by the US State Department Tuesday.
If the State Department failed to bring home the foreign employees, the staff would be evacuated by the US military, according to CBS News.
USAID employees in many bureaus at the agency’s headquarters in Washington DC also received a memo that they are being placed on administrative leave, according to Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) NewsHour correspondent Lisa Desjardins.
It said they must be available to report to work ‘if directed to do so,’ and must be available by phone and email during normal business hours.
But they are ‘not to enter USAID premises, access USAID systems or attempt to use your position or authority with USAID in any way without my prior permission or prior permission of a supervisor in your chain of command,’ wrote Marocco, the newly-appointed deputy administrator for the agency, the report said.
Two employees who were placed on administrative leave said each agency bureau has been directed to leave a ‘skeleton crew’ to help identify programs to be shuttered.
The employees were told by Peter Marocco, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, that all USAID staff members and their families should be recalled back to the United States by Friday – though that deadline could be delayed.
The move comes as President Trump‘s administration is planning to merge USAID – Washington’s primary humanitarian agency that distributes billions of dollars worth of aid abroad – with the State Department.
The president had previously ordered a freeze on most foreign aid on his first day in office, saying he wanted to ensure it aligned with his America First platform.
Dozens of USAID workers were then put on leave last week under stop-work orders, while hundreds of internal contractors were laid off.
By Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he was taking over as acting head of the agency – which he said was ‘completely unresponsive’ as he accused staff members of being ‘unwilling to answer simple questions’ about its programs.
He also informed Congress in a letter about the pending reorganization of the agency, saying some parts of USAID might be absorbed by the State Department while others will be completely abolished.
That same day, USAID employees said they were locked out of the agency’s computer systems.
Those still in the system received messages to their work emails saying ‘at the direction of Agency leadership’ the headquarters building ‘will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, Feb. 3.’
Copies of the email show that replies were sent to Gavin Kliger, one of the six young engineers working for Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which appears to be operating under the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
The website for USAID was also shutdown as of Monday morning.
The official government website for USAID and any former links for the site’s webpages now shows a browser error message: ‘This site can’t be reached.’
The Trump administration also had to place two top security chiefs at USAID on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Musk’s government-inspection teams.
Members of DOGE eventually did gain access Saturday to the aid agency’s classified information, which includes intelligence reports, the former official said.
Musk’s DOGE crew lacked high enough security clearance to access that information, so the two USAID security officials – John Voorhees and deputy Brian McGill – believed themselves legally obligated to deny access.
Musk had earlier attacked the agency on social media, claiming it was a ‘criminal organization’ that was ‘run by radical lunatics.’
He then led a civilian review of the federal government with Trump’s go-ahead.
“It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm it in,’ Musk said of the six-decade U.S. international aid and development agency. What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair,” he was quoted as saying.
‘We’re shutting it down,’ he said in the audio-only appearance on X.
The Tesla and SpaceX boss noted in the announcement on his social media site that he spoke with Trump about the agency and they ‘agreed we should shut it down.’
When asked about the decision on Tuesday, Trump praised Musk for scrutinizing the agency.
Many hit out at Musk for taking aim at the foreign aid agency. Democratic lawmakers and citizens protest move to shutdown USAID
“Look at all the fraud that he’s found,’ Trump said, adding that the funding has gone to ‘all sorts of groups that shouldn’t deserve to get any money.’
The agency had employed more than 10,000 people, about two-thirds of whom served overseas, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.
It was established in 1961 to combat poverty, protect human rights and global health and strengthen democracy amid the Cold War.
In Fiscal Year 2023, USAID managed more than $40 billion in appropriations, which is less than 1 percent of the federal budget. USAID provides development and assistance in about 130 countries with these funds.
For this fiscal year, the president’s budget request was $28.3 billion in foreign assistance.
By Alfred Sasako
