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A2 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 20 March 2025
DOGE official takes a leadership role at USAID, an agency Musk’s

team has helped dismantle

By MATT BROWN and wielding approach to laying reverses” many of the steps
ELLEN KNICKMEYER off workers and slashing pro- taken to dismantle the
Associated Press grams. agency.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A se- Pete Marocco, a Trump The lawsuit was aimed spe-
nior official at Elon Musk’s administration political ap- cifically at DOGE, and the
Department of Govern- pointee who was serving ruling suggested that similar
ment Efficiency is taking a as deputy head of USAID, moves from designated of-
leadership role at the U.S. disclosed the change in ficials at USAID would not
Agency for International De- an email Tuesday to State necessarily run afoul of the
velopment, according to an Department staff. It comes Constitution in the same
email obtained by The As- after Marocco and DOGE way.
sociated Press, giving DOGE oversaw the gutting of 83% In February, the Treasury
a top job at an agency that of USAID contracts, shifting Department designated
it has helped to dismantle. the remaining programs un- another worker associated
Jeremy Lewin, who has der the State Department. with DOGE, Tom Krause, to
played a central role in Marocco said in his email Pete Marocco, a political appointee focused on gutting USAID, perform the functions of an
DOGE’s government-cut- that he will serve as the departs after briefing the House Foreign Affairs Committee assistant secretary at the
ting efforts at USAID and State Department’s director behind closed doors, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, agency. That came after
other federal agencies, be- of foreign assistance. State March 5, 2025. Associated Press Democratic lawmakers and
comes at least the second Department spokeswoman others expressed alarm at
DOGE lieutenant to be ap- Tammy Bruce on Wednes- State Department and development contracts. DOGE’s access to Treasury’s
pointed to a top job at an day confirmed his appoint- USAID officials on what for- In a ruling Tuesday, U.S. payment systems.
agency during the Trump ment. eign assistance programs to District Judge Theodore In this week’s actions, Rubio
administration, further for- She told reporters it was “an save and how to carry them Chuang in Maryland indefi- also designated Kenneth
malizing the work of Musk’s indispensable role in align- out as the Trump administra- nitely blocked DOGE from Jackson as administrator
associates in the federal ing all U.S. government tion works to scrap the aid making further cuts to the for management and re-
government. foreign assistance with the and development agency. agency. sources who will also serve
The integral role that DOGE president’s priorities.” Marocco’s email was sent The ruling came in a lawsuit as the agency’s chief fi-
teams have played in the Marocco wrote that Secre- the same day a federal filed by USAID employees nancial officer, according
administration’s push to dra- tary of State Marco Rubio judge ruled that Musk and and contractors, who ar- to Marocco’s email. Presi-
matically reduce the size of will “effective immediately” DOGE likely lacked consti- gued that Musk and DOGE dent Donald Trump also
the government has been designate Lewin as deputy tutional authority to help are wielding power that the recently appointed Jack-
divisive among the public administrator for policy and the Trump administration Constitution reserves only for son as acting president of
and lawmakers. Musk has programs at USAID and as shut down State Depart- those who win elections or the U.S. Institute for Peace,
faced heavy blowback chief operating officer. ment and USAID foreign are confirmed by the Sen- a government think tank
from some and support The move comes as multiple assistance, fire staffers and ate. Their lawyers said the meant to promote conflict
from others for his chainsaw- proposals circulate among terminate humanitarian and ruling “effectively halts or resolution.q

U.S. births rose last year, but experts don’t see it as a trend

By MIKE STOBBE according to Centers for the numbers are finalized, years after the 2008-09 re- ning a steady climb.
AP Medical Writer Disease Control and Pre- but another set of prelimi- cession, aside from a 2014 Birth rates have long been
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. vention preliminary data. nary data shows overall uptick. They also dropped falling for teenagers and
births rose slightly last year, That’s 22,250 more than birth rates rose only for one in 2020, the first year of the younger women, but were
but experts don’t see it as the final tally of 2023 U.S. group of people: Hispanic COVID-19 pandemic, then rising for women in their
evidence of reversing a births, which was released women. rose for two straight years 30s and 40s a reflection of
long-term decline. Tuesday. The rise less than 1% may after that, an increase ex- women pursuing educa-
A little over 3.6 million births The 2024 total is likely to just be a small fluctuation perts partly attributed to tion and careers before try-
were reported for 2024, grow at least a little when in the middle of a broad- pregnancies put off amid ing to start families, experts
er trend, said Hans-Peter the pandemic. say. But in 2023, birth rates
Kohler, a University of A 2% drop in 2023 put U.S. fell for women in almost all
Pennsylvania sociologist births at fewer than 3.6 mil- age groups, include wom-
who studies family demo- lion, the lowest one-year en in their early 40s.
graphics. tally since 1979. Preliminary birth rate data
“I’d be hesitant to read Vermont had the lowest for 2024 shows a contin-
much into the 2023-24 in- birth rate that year, and ued decrease among
crease, and certainly not Utah had the highest, ac- teenagers and women
as an indication of a re- cording to Tuesday’s 86- in their early 20s. But it
versal of the trend towards page report on 2023 birth also showed increases for
lower or declining U.S. fer- data. women in their late 20s,
tility,” Kohler said, adding The report, based on a re- due entirely to a rise in
that more analysis is need- view of all the birth certifi- births to Hispanic women.
ed to understand any cates filed that year, shows Increases also were seen
changes that happened the average age of moth- for women in their 30s, due
in birth patterns last year. ers at first birth has contin- to rises among Hispanic
A pregnant woman stands for a portrait in Dallas, Thursday, U.S. births and birth rates ued to rise, hitting 27 1/2 and white women, and
May 18, 2023. have been falling for years. It was 21 1/2 in the those in their 40s, due to ris-
Associated Press years. They dropped most early 1970s, before begin-
es among white women.q