Pete Marocco, a key aide in the Trump administration known for his efforts to reduce US foreign aid, has reportedly left the State Department amid disagreements with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Marocco’s tenure included leading a review that resulted in the dismantlement of 83% of U.S. foreign aid programs, which created tensions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who preferred to maintain aid initiatives, reported DailyMail.com. Although Marocco recently returned to the State Department as the director of foreign assistance after serving as deputy administrator of USAID, his departure highlights a lack of alignment between his approach to foreign aid cuts and Rubio’s.
Here is more of the story as reported by DailyMail.com:
The Donald Trump aide who spearheaded the take down of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been cut from the State Department.
Pete Marocco, who led the dismantlement of 83 percent of all US foreign aid programs and was appointed the head of the Inter-American Foundation, has allegedly left the department amid clashes with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
‘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.
‘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.’
Another government official reportedly implied it was not Marocco’s decision to leave the department and he learned he was being axed last week.
They would not give any further clarification on the nature of his departure.
He and Rubio had conflicting ideas about how foreign cuts should be executed, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Over the course of a 90-day review of assistance programs, Marocco was reportedly in favor of more extensive cuts, while Rubio fought to keep life-saving efforts intact.
On Thursday, he held a ‘listening session’ with experts at the State Department to discuss the future of America’s foreign aid programs.
Pete Marocco (pictured), who led the dismantlement of 83 percent of all US foreign aid programs and was appointed the head of the Inter-American Foundation, has left the State Department
DOGE’s dismantlement of the USAID sparked outrage and protests from Elon Musk’s critics (pictured: demonstrators during a ‘Hands Off’ protest outside of the USAID office on April 5)
Marocco returned to the State Department as the director of foreign assistance less than a month ago after serving as the deputy administrator of USAID as it was dismantled.
The Trump administration has slashed about 90 percent of the USAID’s foreign contracts, the Associated Press reported.
‘I am going to return to my post as the Director of Foreign Assistance to bring value back to the American people,’ he wrote in an email obtained by Reuters.
It is unclear if Marocco is completely leaving the State Department or being moved to a different position.
