Elon Musk Confirms Trump's Order on USAID
USAID is a major international development agency responsible for disaster relief and development projects.
It is responsible for billions of dollars in US aid projects across the world — with most of these funds funnelled into disaster relief efforts while promoting development and global health.
Despite its small budget share, USAID impacts many global initiatives.
The Tesla and X CEO said he checked in with Trump a few times who said: “Yes we are shutting it down”.
On Saturday, USAID’s website went dark as the Trump administration made good its campaign promise to freeze foreign assistance.
Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency, called USAID a “criminal organization” and indicated its closure was imminent.
According to Musk, “Trump isn’t satisfied just to close programs and fire staff. He is now planning to ELIMINATE THE ENTIRE AGENCY. Maybe this weekend. That would be illegal. He cannot unilaterally close a federal agency. Another assault on the constitution,” Chris Murphy, a Democrat senator from Connecticut, posted on social media on Saturday.
“Eliminating USAID, which prevents famines, counters terrorism and creates more markets for US exports — would make the world a more dangerous place for Americans and be a gift to China and Russia,” said Amy Klobuchar, Democrat senator from Minnesota.
USAID has over 10,000 employees in more than 100 countries. Some of the agency’s senior leadership officials were ousted in the wake of Trump’s “stop work” order and nearly 400 contract employees were laid off.
Three USAID workers told the New York Times that they were concerned that an AI programme known as Gemini had been installed in their email accounts.
The move to dismantle USAID faced opposition, with lawmakers arguing that Trump cannot unilaterally close the agency.
Critics, including some Democratic senators, highlighted the negative impacts this could have on global stability and US interests.
As the 45th and 47th American president is gearing up to stage a history trade war with China, Mexica and Canada, Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the first day of his second coming, as he issued a slew of executive orders to bolster his “America first” agenda.
