The White House on Wednesday announced Raj shah, the Indian American head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is leaving the administration.
“For the past five years, Raj Shah has been at the center of my Administration’s efforts to advance our global development agenda as the Administrator,” said President Barack Obama in a statement, adding, “Raj’s leadership and counsel will be missed, but I join his USAID colleagues and Administration counterparts in wishing him well as he embarks on a new chapter.”
No reasons were assigned for his departure.
{{/usCountry}}No reasons were assigned for his departure.
{{/usCountry}}Shah told Washington Post he was leaving after six years in office to spend time with his family.
He has wanted to run for political office. But told the Post he was “not prepared to talk about that in detail now.”
“I don’t want to speculate on what I might or might not do,” he said. “I’m deeply honored to have had an opportunity to serve, and so impressed by the quality of public servants I work with every day, people who take personal risks…I see a lot of value in public service.”
He was among the senior most Indian American in the Obama administration. And his departure comes within just days two very high-profile Indian Americans joining the administration after their confirmation by the senate — Rich Verma as US ambassador to India and Vivek Murthy as the next Surgeon General, a position also called “America’s Doctor”.