White House installs Trump loyalist to lead independent agency in push to reduce foreign aid

Peter Marocco assigned as head of Inter-American Foundation after White House fires president and CEO

The White House has installed Peter Marocco as head of a small independent international development agency, part of a broader push by Donald Trump and Elon Musk to dramatically reduce US foreign aid.

Marocco, a Trump loyalist who presided over the administration's evisceration of foreign aid programs at USAid and the state department, was placed in charge of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) on Friday, after the White House fired the foundation's president and CEO, Sara Aviel, according to a letter sent by the chair of the agency's board of directors and reviewed by the Guardian.

Andrew Roth contributed reporting from Washington