WASHINGTON (TNND) — The U.S. will send $2 million in aid and a small U.S. agency to Myanmar to assist in recovery after a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,000 people in Southeast Asia on Friday.

"The United States will provide up to $2 million through Burma-based humanitarian assistance organizations to support earthquake-affected communities," State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Monday. "The United States stands with the people of Burma as they work to recover from the devastation, and we offer our deepest condolences for the loss of life in this obviously extraordinarily difficult time."

The World Health Organization said that more than 10,000 buildings overall are known to have collapsed or been severely damaged in central and northwest Myanmar.

International rescue teams from several countries are on the scene, including Russia, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and several Southeast Asian countries.

The response comes as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) work to overhaul the federal government and dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by laying off thousands of employees and revoking funding for more than 80% of its programs.

On the same day the earthquake struck Myanmar, the administration told Congress that all USAID positions not required by law would be eliminated.

“Thanks to President Trump, this misguided and fiscally irresponsible era is now over," State Secretary Marco Rubio said in a statement. "We are reorienting our foreign assistance programs to align directly with what is best for the United States and our citizens,” Rubio said. “ We are continuing essential lifesaving programs and making strategic investments that strengthen our partners and our own country."

During a news conference to discuss the assistance, Bruce disputed the idea that cuts to USAID have limited the earthquake response.

"I would reject the notion this is obviously a result of the USAID cuts and that kind of funding," Bruce told reporters. "We’re certainly in the region."

Bruce added that there are discussions about sending a more extensive response to the area with disaster experts monitoring the situation.

"Our disaster experts – including those based in Bangkok, Manila, and Washington, D.C. – continue to monitor the situation with coordination with U.S. Government counterparts in the region," she said.

_____

Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.