World Food Program Director Acknowledges Impact of USAID Shutdown, Says She Is Not Criticizing Trump Administration

U.S. Agency for International Development. She spoke on CBS News's "Face the Nation" when asked by Margaret Brennan whether the dismantling of USAID had affected operations.

"I do. I really — I do. AID was — was an intimate part of all of these things, and — and of course we relied on them — on them to a degree as well," McCain said. She added that she wishes the United States still had USAID but acknowledged the decision belonged to the current administration.

"I am hoping, though, that eventually we can put back some of the soft power aspects that we were able to do, as well," McCain said. She stressed she was not criticizing anyone in the administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the official end of USAID last July.

The agency had been rapidly dismantled after President Trump's return to the presidency and was shut down during the first year of his earlier term. S. aid reductions.

The Trump administration defended the closure as uncovering "waste, fraud, and abuse" and redirecting funds toward measurable outcomes.