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Obama, Bush and U2's Bono fault Trump's gutting of USAID on agency's last day

Obama, Bush and U2's Bono fault Trump's gutting of USAID on agency's last day

Former US presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush delivered rare open criticism of the Trump administration - and singer Bono held back tears as he recited a poem - in an emotional video farewell on Monday with staff of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Monday was the last day as an independent agency for the six-decade-old humanitarian and development organisation, created by former president John F. Kennedy as a peaceful way of promoting US national security by boosting goodwill and prosperity abroad.
Secretary of State
Marco Rubio has ordered USAID to be absorbed into the State Department on Tuesday.
The former presidents and Bono spoke during a videoconference with thousands in the USAID community, which was billed as a closed-press event to allow political leaders and others privacy for sometimes angry and often teary remarks. Parts of the video were shared with Associated Press.
Former US president George W. Bush. File photo: AP
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