Exclusive: State Department refugee office to assume USAID's disaster aid role, says cable
Source: Reuters
May 21, 2025 9:44 PM EDT Updated 9 hours ago
WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - The State Department office that handles refugee issues and works to cut illegal migration will lead the U.S. response to overseas disasters, according to excerpts from an internal department cable, a role for which experts say it lacks the knowhow and personnel.
The Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, known as PRM, is assuming that function from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the main U.S. foreign aid agency that the Trump administration has been dismantling, say the excerpts reviewed by Reuters. USAID's gutting - largely overseen by billionaire Elon Musk as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's drive to shrink the federal government - has already led to what many experts called the administration's late and inadequate response to a serious earthquake in Myanmar on March 25.
The excerpts come from a cable known as an ALDAC, which stands for "All Diplomatic and Consular Posts," sent this week to U.S. embassies and other diplomatic posts worldwide. Reuters could not learn the precise date of the ALDAC. Under the new arrangement, all U.S. overseas missions should consult with PRM on foreign disaster declarations, said the cable.
"With approval from PRM based on established criteria for international disaster assistance, up to $100,000 can be issued to support the initial response," it continued. "Additional resources may be forthcoming based on established humanitarian need" in consultation with other State Department offices. The State Department did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/state-department-refugee-office-assume-usaids-disaster-aid-role-says-cable-2025-05-22/
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