DOGE decimates Inter-American Foundation agency to just one staffer

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has eliminated nearly all staff at the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), reducing the agency to a single Trump-appointed employee. DOGE announced the move Tuesday, citing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month that deemed the agency “unnecessary.”

The sole remaining employee is Peter Marocco, who previously oversaw cuts to foreign aid programs at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department. Marocco was appointed to head the agency on Friday.

According to a report by The Guardian, by Monday evening, most of the agency’s 37 employees were placed on paid leave, effective immediately. The White House also terminated the agency’s bipartisan board of directors and named Marocco as its sole board member and chairman.

Trump’s executive order instructed the federal government to “eliminate to the maximum extent” the functions of IAF, along with three other agencies. The decision has drawn criticism from congressional Democrats and IAF’s previous board chairman, who argue that the White House overstepped its authority. 

Established by Congress in 1969, the IAF has funded community development projects in Latin America for decades.

“We do not consider the assignment of Peter Marocco to the role of board chairman, sent via email to the IAF Chief Operating Office on February 28, 2025, to be a valid appointment as required by IAF’s enabling statute,” wrote Eddy Arriola, the Senate-confirmed chair of the agency’s board, in a letter to White House officials, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and several members of Congress.

Arriola stated that the agency’s governance was to remain “unaltered” and instructed IAF President and CEO Sara Aviel to block access to “deny access to IAF’s systems and files to anyone outside the organization.” He also argued that any actions taken by Marocco under his appointment should be voided. The White House, however, ignored the directive.

The Guardian reported that on Monday, Marocco and members of DOGE arrived at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. Staff later received an email confirming that Marocco was officially in charge. As of October 2024, IAF had 425 active projects, but according to an agency employee, all local contractors have been canceled, and grantees were notified of terminations.

On Tuesday, ahead of Trump’s address to Congress, DOGE posted a “wall of receipts” listing canceled grants at the agency. Among them were “$903,811 for alpaca farming in Peru,” “$813,210 for vegetable gardens in El Salvador,” and “$364,500 to reduce social discrimination of recyclers in Bolivia.”