CLAIM: One billion dollars were channeled to Greece during Biden’s four-year term, coming from the “sinful United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its branches,” either indirectly or directly.
CONCLUSION: Based on the publicly available data from official U.S. sources, it appears that for the period from 2021 to 2024, that is, during Biden’s presidency, USAID provided Greece with approximately $2.5 million, not one billion dollars.
The claim originally appeared in the newspaper Estia and estia.gr and was later reproduced by other websites, eventually going viral on social media.
The claim is as follows:
“One billion dollars was the total amount of funds disbursed to Greece during the four-year Biden administration, from USAID and its affiliates, either indirectly or directly. It is among the highest sums disbursed worldwide. The amount is staggering because it includes the pandemic period, during which the Biden government showed a peculiar interest in influencing public opinion, as evidenced by the internal expenditures of the U.S. international aid organization.”
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the main governmental agency responsible for managing U.S. foreign aid policy and development assistance. It was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy with the aim of unifying various foreign aid organizations into a single agency. USAID operates in fields such as economic development, health, education, democracy, and humanitarian aid, collaborating with governments, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations to address global challenges and promote stability and prosperity worldwide.
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14169, initiating a 90-day freeze on all U.S. foreign development aid programs in order to conduct a comprehensive review. This decision led to the suspension of many aid programs and the forced layoff of thousands of USAID employees. Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced plans to dissolve USAID, describing it as “beyond repair.” Consequently, the USAID website was taken offline, and staff were barred from accessing its offices and systems.
According to the claim under examination, Greece received nearly one billion dollars “indirectly or directly” from “USAID and its branches” during Biden’s administration (from January 20, 2021, to January 20, 2025). The publication does not clarify what these “branches” are. USAID functions as an autonomous agency of the U.S. federal government, yet it is subject to the overall strategy of American foreign policy and is directed by the U.S. State Department. Although USAID has its own administrator—appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate—it works closely with the State Department, as well as with the Department of Defense and other governmental agencies, in the implementation of foreign aid programs. Marco Rubio was appointed acting administrator on February 3, 2025. The Estia publication reports that the funds provided to Greece were aimed at “influencing public opinion,” though it does not offer further detailed evidence.
To determine the amount of financial aid that Greece has received, one can visit the website ForeignAssistance.gov, which provides publicly available data up to December 19, 2024. In the section concerning Greece, two options are presented: Obligations and Disbursements. An “Obligation” is the commitment of funds by an organization (such as USAID) for a specific project, contract, or grant, whereas a “Disbursement” is the actual payment of money that had been previously committed. In other words, obligations refer to the promise of future payment, while disbursements represent the funds that have actually been paid out. On the same page, the sources of the funds can also be viewed, specifically, USAID, the Department of Agriculture, the Federal Trade Commission, the State Department, and the Department of Energy.
In short:
“Obligations” refer to the commitments made by an agency about funds that are promised or allocated for specific projects or programs.
“Disbursements” are the actual payments made, meaning the funds that have been transferred or spent.
Given that the Biden administration assumed power in 2021, the following are the amounts provided to Greece by USAID:
USAID 2021:
– Obligations: $0
– Disbursements: $625,908
Overall, from all the aforementioned agencies and ministries: $384,204 and $812,962 respectively.
USAID 2022:
– Obligations: $0
– Disbursements: $391,854
Overall, from all the aforementioned agencies and ministries: $30,977,111 and $30,937,407 respectively.
USAID 2023:
– Obligations: −$3,245
– Disbursements: $464,915
Overall, from all the aforementioned agencies and ministries: $891,893 and $859,848 respectively.
USAID 2024:
– Obligations: −$115,375
– Disbursements: $1,210,431
Overall, from all the aforementioned agencies and ministries: −$115,375 and $1,510,431 respectively.
From the above figures, the total amount provided to Greece by USAID during the Biden Administration amounts to $2,574,488 (two million, five hundred seventy-four thousand, four hundred eighty-eight dollars).
Regarding the allocation of these funds, the official data for the period 2021–2024 shows that the vast majority were granted to American educational institutions. Also notable is the amount of $30 million provided in 2022 under the FMF (Foreign Military Financing Program)—not by USAID but by the State Department. Overall, the total amount disbursed to Greece from all the aforementioned U.S. agencies and ministries amounts to approximately $34.7 million.
It is also worth mentioning that Greece received funds from USAID during Donald Trump’s first term as president, as indicated in the tables below (left: obligations, right: disbursements).
Conclusion
Based on the publicly available data from official U.S. sources, it appears that for the period from 2021 to 2024, that is, during Biden’s presidency, USAID provided Greece with approximately $2.5 million, not one billion dollars.