April 14, 2025 – Pete Marocco, mastermind behind dismantling of USAID projects, leaves State Department

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Pete Marocco, the official who oversaw the dismantling of USAID, has now parted ways with the agency. (Kent Nishimura/Reuters)

Pete Marocco, the official who oversaw the dismantling of USAID, has now parted ways with the agency.

Marocco, who served in the Defense, State and Commerce departments, was known as a conservative firebrand with a deep skepticism of foreign aid. His tenure sparked fierce protests on Capitol Hill and drew sharp criticism from Democrats, who celebrated his exit but said questions remain about the future of U.S. foreign aid.

“Pete was brought to State with a big mission to conduct an exhaustive review of every dollar spent on foreign assistance,” a senior administration official said of the departure. “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.”

After President Donald Trump merged USAID with the State Department, Secretary Marco Rubio named Marocco acting deputy administrator of the agency, and he went to work whittling down the $40-billion, 10,000-employee USAID office. (Read more: Fox News, 4/14/2025)  (Archive)