Missteps, Confusion and ‘Viral Waste’: The 14 Days That Doomed U.S.A.I.D.

It was the day of President Trump’s inauguration, and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s new director looked like he might pass out, as the color drained from his face.

Jason Gray, U.S.A.I.D.’s chief information officer, who had been at the agency for only two years, had just learned he would be in charge, effective immediately. Mr. Gray wasn’t supposed to be the boss. The outgoing Biden administration had selected somebody with more foreign aid experience to manage U.S.A.I.D. until the new president chose, and Congress approved, a permanent administrator. But Mr. Trump’s team, apparently eager to reverse any decisions by the former president, told Mr. Gray to take the helm instead.

Inside the agency’s offices, Mr. Gray’s colleagues gathered around, trying to buck him up.

Yes, the job would be challenging under Mr. Trump, whose “America First” politics weren’t exactly sympathetic to sending U.S. taxpayer money around the world. But U.S.A.I.D. had come through the first Trump administration largely unscathed, and Marco Rubio, the incoming secretary of state, was a longtime supporter.

A little after 4 p.m., Mr. Gray issued an upbeat memo to the agency’s more than 10,000 employees, telling them to expect a focus on innovation and new partnerships.

“The next four years offer a great opportunity for our agency,” he wrote.

Two weeks later, U.S.A.I.D. was on the cusp of oblivion — its programs around the world stopped, its staff in Washington told to stay home.