Bush, Obama, and Bono Speak Out After USAID Is Closed Under Trump Administration
Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama joined U2 singer Bono in a private videoconference this week to offer support to employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and to criticize the decision to close the agency under President Donald Trump.
The gathering, held as USAID was formally shut down and folded into the State Department, mixed gratitude, grief, and sharp disagreement over the move. While Bush and Obama praised the agency’s decades of foreign aid work, Trump administration officials defended the closure as part of a broader effort to reduce government waste and refocus spending.
Bush and Obama Praise USAID’s Mission
In a recorded message played for outgoing USAID staff, former President Barack Obama called the closure “a tragedy” and warned that cutting back on foreign assistance would be a serious misstep for the United States.
He described USAID’s work as “some of the most important work happening anywhere in the world” and referred to the shutdown as a “colossal mistake.” Obama told employees that, in his view, leaders from both political parties would eventually recognize how much the agency’s expertise and efforts are needed, particularly in areas such as poverty reduction, global health, and democratic development.
Former President George W. Bush, who has generally refrained from directly criticizing Trump, made a rare exception in his remarks. Speaking calmly but firmly, he said the closure effectively ended a major part of his own presidential legacy: a large-scale global HIV/AIDS relief effort that was planned and implemented with significant support from USAID.
Bush told staff that through their work, they had demonstrated the “good heart” of the American people. He asked them to consider whether it was in the nation’s interest that millions of people who might not have survived are now alive because of those programs, answering his own question with an emphatic yes.
Bono, a longtime advocate of foreign aid and global health initiatives, joined the two former presidents in addressing USAID staff by video. The media was not present for the event, but clips were later reviewed by the Associated Press.
A Brief History of USAID and the New DOGE Initiative
USAID was created during the Kennedy administration to manage and coordinate American foreign economic assistance. For decades, it became the main civilian arm of U.S. foreign aid, overseeing programs related to disaster relief, public health, agriculture, education, and democracy support.
Earlier this year, however, USAID became one of the first major targets of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a new office established by President Trump to identify and reduce what the administration considers to be wasteful or duplicative federal spending.
DOGE’s leadership argued that USAID had become too large, too costly, and too politicized. Then-director Elon Musk sharply criticized the agency’s culture and priorities, claiming it had been captured by officials and contractors who were more interested in ideological advocacy than in measurable results. He accused the agency of mismanagement and of allowing misuse of funds.
Following a federal investigation into alleged corruption and abuse, the administration moved to shutter USAID entirely and transfer its functions.
On Tuesday, USAID was officially absorbed into the State Department, which will now oversee foreign assistance programs under a new structure.
Bush Emphasizes Global Health Legacy
In his videoconference remarks, Bush focused on the humanitarian results of American foreign aid, particularly the HIV/AIDS relief program launched during his presidency. That initiative, which relied heavily on USAID’s expertise and partnerships with local organizations abroad, has been widely credited with saving tens of millions of lives through treatment and prevention programs.
Bush told staff that their dedication had shown the “strength of America” not only through military or economic power, but through compassion. He framed the effort as both a moral responsibility and a strategic investment, arguing that healthier, more stable societies are ultimately in the United States’ best interest.
While Bush did not raise his voice or resort to harsh language, his comments amounted to a clear rebuke of the decision to close the agency that had helped implement a cornerstone of his foreign policy.
Bono’s Emotional Farewell to USAID Staff
Bono, who has spent years advocating for increased development assistance and debt relief for poorer nations, struck a more poetic tone in his remarks.
He read a short poem he had written to mark the end of USAID as a standalone agency, praising the employees and partners who carried out its work. He suggested that those who had criticized the agency or labeled it corrupt were overlooking the dedication and integrity of the people inside it.
According to accounts of the event, both Bono and Obama appeared emotional as they spoke, while Bush focused more on historical perspective and long-term consequences. Their shared message, however, was one of gratitude and concern: gratitude for the work accomplished, and concern about what might happen if that work is scaled back or reshaped too quickly.
Bono has long argued that large cuts to development programs could have serious human consequences, especially in regions that rely on U.S.-backed efforts to fight disease and support basic services.
Rubio Defends the Move and Outlines a New Structure
On the other side of the debate, Secretary of State Marco Rubio—who served as USAID’s acting administrator in its final weeks—defended the decision to close the agency and transfer its functions to the State Department.
Rubio acknowledged that USAID had a long history, but argued that in recent years, its record had fallen short. He claimed that, beyond the creation of what he described as a vast network of non-governmental organizations financed by U.S. taxpayers, USAID had struggled to demonstrate consistent results since the end of the Cold War.
In his view, development goals were frequently unmet, local instability sometimes worsened despite large investments, and hostility toward the United States did not always decrease.
Rubio said that as of July 1, USAID would no longer directly implement foreign assistance. Instead, foreign aid programs that align with the administration’s priorities and are seen as advancing American interests will be managed by the State Department. He promised a more tightly controlled approach focused on accountability, strategic planning, and measurable outcomes.
He described the change as the end of what he called an “era of government-sanctioned inefficiency” and the beginning of a foreign assistance mission more directly tied to national objectives.
DOGE’s Campaign Against Federal “Waste”
USAID’s closure is part of a broader campaign mounted by DOGE in early 2025 to identify and cut what the Trump administration sees as unnecessary federal spending.
In a speech to Congress earlier this year, President Trump praised DOGE for reporting billions of dollars in potential savings across multiple agencies, including large sums at USAID.
He cited a series of development grants as examples of spending he considered wasteful or confusing, including programs involving scholarships abroad, support for marginalized communities, and research projects that he framed as obscure or overly specialized.
The administration has argued that some of these programs were poorly explained to the public and lacked clear accountability for outcomes. Supporters of the cuts say the new approach will ensure that every dollar spent on foreign assistance directly advances U.S. interests and is rigorously evaluated.
Critics counter that such descriptions oversimplify complex projects and overlook the long-term benefits of building more stable and prosperous societies overseas. They warn that framing development largely through a political lens risks undermining partnerships that have taken decades to build.
Competing Visions of America’s Role in the World
The clash over USAID’s closure highlights a broad divide in how different leaders view America’s role abroad.
For Bush, Obama, and Bono, foreign aid is a core element of U.S. leadership—a way for America to help prevent crises, support health and education, and build goodwill in places that might otherwise be left behind. In their telling, USAID has been a central tool for translating those values into practical programs, from HIV/AIDS treatment to disaster relief.
For Trump, Rubio, Musk, and other supporters of the reorganization, foreign assistance needs to be slimmer, more tightly controlled, and more closely aligned with immediate national interests. They see the decision to close USAID as a necessary step toward trimming bureaucracy, reducing waste, and rethinking what kinds of programs the United States should support.
As USAID’s independent existence comes to an end and its functions move under the State Department’s umbrella, questions remain about how much of its mission will survive in practice. For the employees who heard from two former presidents and a rock star on their final day, the speeches were both a farewell and a reminder of what they believe their work accomplished.
Whether history ultimately views the closure as a mistake, a needed correction, or something in between will depend on what happens next—and on how the United States chooses to shape its foreign aid in the years to come.