A move saving millions found the Department of Government Efficiency reducing one federal agency down to a workforce of one.
During President Donald Trump’s address Tuesday, Democratic Party lawmakers seethed as the GOP leader highlighted examples of the billions of dollars of waste that had thus far been exposed by DOGE. Earlier in the day, the organization had served up another reason for grifters to gnash their teeth as the Inter-American Foundation’s workforce, averaging six-figure salaries, was reduced to one State Department official, Peter Marocco.
Detailed in a post on X from DOGE, “The Inter-American Foundation, an agency whose primary action was to issue foreign grants ($60M budget), has been reduced to its statutory minimum (1 active employee).”
The announcement included examples of canceled grants like “$903,811 for alpaca farming in Peru,” “$813,210 for vegetable gardens in El Salvador,” “$731,105 to improve marketability of mushrooms and peas in Guatemala,” and even “$364,500 to reduce social discrimination of recyclers in Bolivia.”
The Inter-American Foundation, an agency whose primary action was to issue foreign grants ($60M budget), has been reduced to its statutory minimum (1 active employee). Examples of grants that were cancelled in the process:
– $903,811 for alpaca farming in Peru
– $364,500 to…— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) March 4, 2025
The only remaining employee was reported to be Marocco, according to The Guardian, who, after being appointed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, served as deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development in reviewing the now infamous agency’s operations and programs.
DOGE detailed that the average annual salary of a reported 48 employees at IAF prior to the cut was $131,000.
The Elon Musk headed operation also pointed to the Feb. 19 executive order from President Donald Trump that detailed his administration’s policy “to dramatically reduce the size of the Federal Government, while increasing its accountability to the American people.”
In addition to the Presidio Trust, United States African Development Foundation, and United States Institute of Peace, the Inter-American Foundation was listed as a governmental entity expected to eliminate “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” non-statutory components and functions.
Those entities were given a 14-day deadline from the order to submit a report to the director of the Office of Management and Budget confirming their compliance.
The Guardian detailed that, since 1972, roughly 5,800 grants had been awarded toward the purported goal of “localized community-led development,” amounting to more than $945 million.
As part of the ongoing dispute of establishment figures as to the president’s authority over the executive branch, Eddy Arriola, who previously was confirmed by the Senate as chair of the agency’s board, directed a letter to the White House, Rubio and members of Congress contending, “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.”
Arriola instructed the terminated president and CEO, Sara Aviel, to “deny access to IAF’s systems and files to anyone outside the organization” and asserted that actions taken by Marocco “while improperly designated should be voided.”
As with other actions taken thus far by the Trump administration, the American Federation of Government Employees is considering legal options in opposition to the terminations.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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