Peter Marocco, an official who oversaw the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has exited the State Department, according to the Trump administration.
“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. We all expect big things are in store for Pete on his next mission,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement obtained by The Hill.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on Marocco’s exit.
Marocco played an important part in the Trump administration’s efforts to take apart USAID and was an acting deputy director for the agency at one point.
According to a statement obtained by The New York Times, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said Marocco’s “actions deprived millions of people around the world of lifesaving aid and jeopardized U.S. credibility with our partners.”
The Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID has resulted in intense backlash from Democrats and signaled what was to come for other agencies and departments across the government.
The administration has also moved to formally end USAID, with all of its leftover functions being moved into the State Department in early July. Jeremy Lewin, a USAID official, said previously that the State Department “will seek to retire USAID’s independent operation, consistent with applicable law.”
“As Secretary Rubio has said, following congressional consultations, the State Department intends to assume responsibility for many of USAID’s functions and its ongoing programming,” Lewin said.
