He’s got the Pete

One of the reasons Rubio has been dogged by questions over his influence is Peter Marocco, the Trump appointee who was given a great deal of latitude to dissolve USAID.

Marocco wasted no time gutting programs — sometimes in dramatic fashion.

We’ve documented the confrontations Marocco and his team have had while trying to shut down small organizations such as the U.S. African Development Foundation, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the Inter-American Foundation.

On the latter, Marocco appointed himself “acting board chair,” removed the other board members, voted to appoint himself acting president and CEO, and fired Sara Aviel, the previous head of IAF.

He then got rid of everybody save for one employee.

But while the demise of IAF seemed like a fait accompli, a federal judge had other plans, temporarily blocking the dismantling of the IAF through a preliminary injunction on Friday.

The ruling reinstates Aviel and voids actions taken by Marocco, including the termination of IAF’s grants and firing of its staff. But the ruling is only temporary, and on Sunday, the Trump administration requested a stay of the court order pending appeal.

Aviel, who has served as IAF’s leader since 2022 and is the plaintiff in the case, tells my colleague Sara Jerving that the foundation has a talented team, institutional expertise, and deep relationships with communities. “We’re focused on the future, digging in, and getting our cost-effective investments back on track for America.”

Read: Judge blocks Trump admin's dismantling of Inter-American Foundation