Marco Rubio Confirms Vast Majority Of USAID Programs Will Be Cancelled: ‘Thank You To DOGE’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Monday that over 80% of all USAID contracts will be cancelled, as the Donald Trump administration continues its crusade to slash government spending.

Concretely, Rubio said that 5,200 contracts, representing 83% of the total, will be discontinued. He argued in a publication on X that they “spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States.”

“In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping (approximately 1000) to now be administered more effectively under the State Department,” Rubio added.

The secretary of state concluded his message by thanking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the department’s “hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform.”

The appreciation of DOGE follows a report last week that recounted how Rubio clashed with DOGE head Elon Musk at a cabinet meeting after the billionaire accused him of not making enough cuts at the State Department.

According to an account published by The New York Times, Musk told Rubio he had fired “nobody.” The former Florida senator recalled that 1,500 officials took early retirements and sarcastically asked if Musk wanted to rehire them again just to make a show of firing them again.

The outlet described Rubio as “incensed,” noting that he has been “privately furious” with Musk ever since DOGE shuttered USAID.

Trump rejected the report, calling a reporter a “troublemaker” for asking about it. On Friday, following the signing of an executive order establishing the White House Task Force for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, NBC News reporter Gabe Gutierrez questioned Trump about the alleged clash, Fox News reported.

Trump quickly shut down the inquiry, denying any conflict and asserting that Musk and Rubio “get along great.” He dismissed the claim outright and criticized Gutierrez, noting his affiliation with NBC and cutting off further questions. “No clash. I was there—you’re just a troublemaker,” Trump said. “And you’re not supposed to be asking that question, because we’re talking about the World Cup.”