On Sunday, Elon Musk slammed the US Agency for International Development, calling it a “criminal organization,” while Donald Trump said the agency was “run by radical lunatics” and that he was evaluating its future.
The assault on the agency in charge of humanitarian help overseas is a crucial new front in Trump’s effort to give Musk extraordinary power to upend government departments and resist what the duo sees as wasted official expenditure and overreach.
“USAID is a criminal organization,” Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX who has become the president’s most powerful backer, wrote on his X platform, replying to a video alleging USAID involvement in “rogue CIA work” and “internet censorship.”
He did not go into detail about the claims, which prior administration officials connected to a Russian disinformation campaign.
The US Agency for International Development has “been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision (on its future),” Trump said on Sunday, without providing further details.
He emphasized his support for Musk, telling reporters Sunday night that he believed the billionaire was “doing a good job” even if they did not agree on everything.
“He’s a big cost-cutter. Sometimes we won’t agree with it or we’ll not go where he wants to go, he’s a smart guy. Very smart. And he’s very much into cutting the budget of our federal government,” Trump said.
Trump first banned all aid spending for three months, and while he later gave waivers allowing food and other humanitarian relief to continue, aid workers say the organization’s future as an independent agency is dubious.
USAID, an autonomous agency formed by an act of Congress, oversees a $42.8 billion budget intended for humanitarian relief and development assistance around the world.
A senior official from a US-based group expressed concern that the priority of “emergency” help was part of a larger plot in which Washington would cut funding for anything else.
There have been suggestions that Trump wants to merge USAID with the State Department. His team did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment.
In a second post, Musk doubled down and, without providing evidence, posed rhetorical queries to his 215 million followers. “Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people?” Musk posed.
Musk has stated that he will provide an update on the operations of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during a discussion streamed on his X platform at midnight Washington time (0500 GMT).
It is unknown what will be covered at the session, but it could provide more insight into Musk’s unrestrained efforts to map out government spending and operations.
DOGE was established as part of the so-called “executive office of the president,” as a temporary 18-month institution under the repurposed United States Digital Service.
It does not have full standing as a federal department, which requires congressional approval.
In addition, Musk is not a federal employee or government officer. It is unclear to whom DOGE is responsible.
CNN said that two senior security personnel at USAID were forced to resign after preventing staff from Musk’s DOGE from obtaining confidential data as part of a massive effort to audit the government’s finances.
The two DOGE representatives reportedly requested access to staff files and security systems at USAID’s headquarters, according to various sources.
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