WASHINGTON: Billionaire Elon Musk, who’s heading U.S. President Donald Trump’s drive to shrink the federal authorities, gave an replace on the trouble early Monday, saying work is underway to close down the U.S. international assist company USAID.
Musk, who can be CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, mentioned the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) in a social media discuss on Monday on X, which he additionally owns. Trump has assigned Musk to guide a federal cost-cutting panel.
The dialog, which included former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Republican Senators Joni Ernst and Mike Lee, started with Musk saying they have been working to close down america Company for Worldwide Growth (USAID).
“It’s past restore,” Musk mentioned, including that President Trump agrees it needs to be shut down.
In the meantime, most USAID staffers have been informed to not report back to the company’s headquarters in Washington on Monday and to work remotely, in keeping with a replica of an e-mail to personnel reviewed by Reuters. “Additional steerage can be forthcoming,” the observe mentioned.
On Sunday, Reuters reported the Trump administration eliminated two high safety officers at USAID in the course of the weekend after they tried to cease DOGE representatives from getting access to restricted elements of the constructing, three sources mentioned.
Trump in a while Sunday informed reporters that USAID has “been run by a bunch of radical lunatics,” including: “We’re getting them out, after which we’ll decide.”
The U.S. is the world’s largest single donor. In fiscal 12 months 2023, the U.S. disbursed $72 billion of help worldwide on every part from girls’s well being in battle zones to entry to scrub water, HIV/AIDS therapies, vitality safety and anti-corruption work. It supplied 42% of all humanitarian assist tracked by the United Nations in 2024.
The web site of USAID appeared to nonetheless be offline on Saturday and a few customers couldn’t entry it on Sunday. USAID has a employees of greater than 10,000 folks.
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Trump has ordered a worldwide freeze on most U.S. international assist as a part of his “America First” coverage which is already sending shockwaves world wide.
Area hospitals in Thai refugee camps, landmine clearance in battle zones, and medicines to deal with hundreds of thousands affected by illnesses corresponding to HIV are among the many applications susceptible to elimination.
A TRILLION DOLLARS
Talking extra broadly about chopping U.S. bills and fraud, Musk estimated the Trump administration can reduce $1 trillion from the U.S. deficit subsequent 12 months.
He asserted, for instance, that “skilled international fraud rings” are stealing huge sums by masquerading as or creating faux digital U.S. residents.
Musk didn’t provide any proof to assist his fraud declare or clarify how he reached the determine of $1 trillion.
The net chat comes amid issues about Musk’s entry to the Treasury system, first reported by the New York Occasions, that sends out greater than $6 trillion per 12 months in funds on behalf of federal businesses and comprises the private info of hundreds of thousands of Individuals who obtain Social Safety funds, tax refunds and different monies from the federal government.
Democrat Peter Welch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, referred to as for explanations as to why Musk had been handed entry to the fee system and what Welch mentioned included taxpayers’ delicate knowledge.
“It’s a gross abuse of energy by an unelected bureaucrat and it exhibits cash should purchase energy within the Trump White Home,” Welch mentioned in an emailed assertion.
Requested Sunday if Musk was doing job, Trump mentioned: “He’s a giant cost-cutter. Generally we gained’t agree with it and we’ll not go the place he desires to go. However I believe he’s doing an ideal job.”
Musk’s staff has been given entry to or has taken management of quite a few authorities programs.
Reuters reported on Friday that aides to Musk charged with operating the U.S. authorities human sources company have locked profession civil servants out of laptop programs that include the private knowledge of hundreds of thousands of federal staff, in keeping with two company officers.
Musk has moved swiftly to put in allies on the company referred to as the Workplace of Personnel Administration. A staff together with present and former staff of Musk assumed command of OPM on Jan. 20, the day Trump took workplace, the sources added.
Since taking workplace on Jan. 20, Trump has launched into a large authorities makeover, firing and sidelining a whole lot of civil servants in his first steps towards downsizing the paperwork and putting in extra loyalists.