After less than three months on the job, a key architect of the Trump administration’s drive to cut foreign aid has now reportedly departed the State Department, according to U.S. officials.
This marks the end of a term that saw the demolition of a government organization that sent billions of dollars in help to developing nations.
Pete Marocco briefly headed the State Department’s foreign-assistance mission and managed the closing of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
According to some authorities, Marocco occasionally battled with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and collaborated closely with billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
According to someone close to Marocco, he found out late last week that his tenure at the State Department was over.
The source claimed that during a White House meeting, State Department representatives informed Marocco that he was out at the agency and that he needed to turn in his laptop and agency badge.
Marocco was occasionally at conflicts with Rubio and his top advisers, according to another U.S. official, who also stated that it wasn’t his decision to quit the agency.
Whether Marocco will remain in the administration or take on a new position was not immediately apparent. A request for comment from Marocco was not answered.
During the first Trump administration, Marocco had a number of positions at the State Department, the Pentagon, USAID, and the Commerce Department.
Rubio and Marocco occasionally clashed on the extent and execution of cuts to foreign aid. According to authorities, Rubio tried to maintain as many lifesaving programs as possible during a 90-day assessment of U.S. assistance programs, while Marocco argued for more extensive and profound cuts.
The country’s top diplomatic organization is going through a significant transition at the time of Marocco’s departure.
The Office of Management and Budget is expected Monday with a reorganization plan for the State Department.
It is anticipated that the strategy would partially outline how USAID’s prior responsibilities will be incorporated into State.
Marocco managed USAID’s closure and the cancellation of 83% of international aid programs. Critics, including Democrats, contended that congressional approval was necessary for the action.
[READ MORE: Steve Doocy Tells Shocking Story of Widow Financially Ruined by Trump’s Tariff’s]
