Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day

The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration

USAID building shuttered after Trump purge
USAID building shuttered after Trump purge. Its dismantling could lead to more than 14 million preventable deaths by 2030.
(Image credit: Kevin Carter / Getty Images)

What happened

U.S. Agency for International Development employees gathered Monday to mark the humanitarian and development organization's final day as an independent agency. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush were among the officials who thanked the outgoing staffers via videoconference, while U2's Bono read a poem he had written about the agency and its gutting by the Trump administration.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.