Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. has continued to provide foreign aid after the U.S. Agency for International Development had its programmes frozen pending a review.

“I’m not against foreign aid. I’ve supported foreign aid. We’re going to do foreign aid. No one here is saying we’re going to have zero, and some programmes already have survived,” said Mr Rubio in an interview with Catherine Herridge for X.

Mr Rubio said he had no regrets about USAID and argued that some programmes “shouldn’t have ever existed.”

USAID-funded programmes are being scrutinised amid President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul the agency.

The U.S. billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency, referred to the agency as a “criminal organisation” that “needs to die.”

USAID employees worldwide have been put on administrative leave, and the agency’s site, including past financial reports, was removed. 

(RIA Novosti/NAN)