Obama and Bush Defend USAID

Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush delivered rare public criticism of the Trump administration after the dismantling of USAID as an independent agency.

The two former presidents appeared in a video message to USAID staff, joined by U2 singer Bono, as workers marked the agency’s final day operating independently. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had ordered USAID to be absorbed into the State Department.

Obama called the move a “colossal mistake.”

He also described the gutting of USAID as both a “travesty” and a “tragedy,” saying the agency had carried out some of the most important work in the world.

His message was aimed directly at staff members who had spent their careers working on global aid, development, health, and humanitarian programs.

Bush also praised USAID workers, with special focus on lifesaving health efforts tied to PEPFAR, the AIDS relief program launched during his presidency. The program has long been credited with helping save millions of lives around the world.

Bono added an emotional note of his own.

The U2 frontman, known for years of advocacy on global poverty and health, reportedly read a poem honoring USAID workers. He pushed back against the criticism aimed at the agency and told staff they had represented the best of America.

The farewell came after months of turmoil inside USAID.

The Trump administration, along with the Department of Government Efficiency, had targeted the agency as part of a wider effort to reduce government spending and reshape foreign aid. Trump allies argued the agency was wasteful, poorly managed, and out of step with the administration’s priorities.

Critics saw something very different.

They argued that dismantling USAID would weaken America’s influence abroad and harm vulnerable communities that depend on U.S.-supported food, health, and development programs.

The agency was created during the Kennedy administration as a way to support global development while also strengthening U.S. national security through diplomacy and goodwill.

That history made the moment even heavier for many staff members.

For decades, USAID worked in areas affected by hunger, disease, conflict, and poverty. Its supporters say the agency helped save lives while also building relationships that served American interests.

The Trump administration defended the restructuring, saying foreign assistance needed tighter oversight and clearer alignment with national priorities.

But Obama, Bush, and Bono framed the closure as a loss.

Not just for the workers.
Not just for Washington.
But for people around the world who depended on the agency’s programs.

For USAID employees, the farewell was more than a political moment. It was the end of an institution many saw as a symbol of American service.

The debate is far from over.

Supporters of the shutdown say the government had to confront waste and reform foreign aid. Opponents say the decision damaged one of America’s most important tools of soft power.

But one thing was clear from the farewell message.

Two presidents from different parties found common ground on one point: they believed USAID’s work mattered.