The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced on Tuesday that the Inter-American Foundation has cut its workforce down to just one employee to comply with President Trump's executive order aimed at reducing federal bureaucracy, deeming it "unnecessary."
Before the massive job cuts, the independent federal agency had a staff strength of 48, with an average annual salary of $131,000, according to DOGE, which is led by Elon Musk. However, after the mass firing, the only employee now left with the agency is Peter Marocco, who previously oversaw the Trump administration's gutting of the foreign aid programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, The Guardian reported.
Lone Man Standing
According to reports, Marocco was appointed as the agency's head on Friday. "The Inter-American Foundation, an agency whose primary action was to issue foreign grants ($60M budget), has been reduced to its statutory minimum (1 active employee)," DOGE tweeted.
Created by Congress in 1969, the Inter-American Foundation provides grants to Latin American and Caribbean nations to support "community-led local development," according to its website.
Since 1972, the agency has given away around 5,800 grants worth over $945 million, advocating that its method is "increasingly recommended as the most effective way to improve the quality of life in marginalized communities."
The budget-cutting effort, spearheaded by Musk, highlighted multiple Inter-American Foundation grants that were terminated as a result of the drastic downsizing.
- $903,811 for alpaca farming in Peru
- $364,500 to reduce social discrimination of recyclers in Bolivia
- $813,210 for vegetable gardens in El Salvador
- $323,633 to promote cultural understanding of Venezuelan migrants in Brazil
- $731,105 to improve marketability of mushrooms and peas in Guatemala
- $677,342 to expand fruit and jam sales in Honduras
- $483,345 to improve artisanal salt production in Ecuador
- $39, 250 for beekeeping in Brazil
Trump Wishes, Musk Disposes
The cuts were implemented following Trump's February 19 executive order, which classified federal funding for the Inter-American Foundation, the Presidio Trust, the United States African Development Foundation, and the United States Institute of Peace as "unnecessary."
"The non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law," it says.
The Trump administration has closely scrutinized foreign aid expenditures in an effort to eliminate waste, fraud, and misuse within the federal government.
Trump has assigned Musk and his DOGE team to oversee this initiative and ensure the implementation and enforcement of his executive orders.
As part of this plan, the administration aims to cut around $60 billion in foreign aid spending, including the elimination of 92% of grants issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and 45% of those awarded by the State Department.
According to DOGE, it has saved around $55 billion since initiating its cost-cutting campaign.
