DOGE dismantling foreign aid agency started by George W. Bush
Source: NPR
The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an independent government agency dedicated to boosting economic growth in low- to middle-income countries. Started during the George W. Bush administration, MCC has garnered bipartisan support through targeted investments in the private sector.
The staff breathed a sigh of relief after a White House official visited the agency in February and basically concluded that MCC was streamlined and well serving its mission, according to an MCC official who requested anonymity for fear of losing their job.
"We were feeling confident that maybe MCC would be retained because the model actually speaks to the priorities that the administration put forward," the source said.
But this week, MCC got a different message. The Department of Government Efficiency has directed major cuts to the agency's staff and the termination of all existing grants, according to the official.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/04/24/nx-s1-5375110/doge-dismantling-foreign-aid-agency-started-by-george-w-bush
In 2003, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced a bill to establish the MCC.
The MCC was authorized through an appropriations bill sponsored by Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-TX) in July 2003 and signed by Pres. Bush in Jan. 2004. This bill passed in a Republican majority Congress, with 184 Republican House "yea" votes plus 45 Republicans in the Senate.