Elon Musk has stated that he and President Donald Trump are working to shut down the foreign aid agency USAID, declaring it to be ‘beyond repair.’Trump is certainly not afraid to make unpopular decisions during his time in the Oval Office and has signed several executive orders since returning to the White House two weeks ago.The 47th POTUS set records for the number of executive orders signed on his first day as president and has continued to sign orders imposing higher tariffs on imports from China, Canada, and Mexico, in addition to making changes to passports and immigration policies.Now, Twitter and Tesla owner Musk—who is working within the Trump administration—has taken to Twitter to outline plans to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).In a conversation with Republican senators Joni Ernst and Mike Lee, as well as former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk said: “It’s [USAID] beyond repair. He [Trump] agreed we should shut it down.”The billionaire added, “It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm in it. What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing.”Musk’s comments come just days after Trump’s administration placed two top security chiefs at USAID on leave for refusing to hand over classified material to Musk’s governmental team, according to AP reports.Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, has since gained access to the material on Sunday, February 2, the outlet reports.
Elon Musk has said Donald Trump is backing plans to shut it down
Responding to a Twitter post about the news, Musk added: “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.”
What is USAID?
USAID, which employs around 10,000 staff, is the world’s largest single donor of humanitarian aid, having spent over $40 billion globally in the fiscal year 2023.The organization’s spending is determined by Congress and focuses mainly on providing aid overseas and supporting international charities.Some of the funds go toward initiatives such as women’s health in conflict zones, access to clean water, and HIV/AIDS treatment.Democrat Peter Welch has called for an explanation as to why Musk needed access to sensitive data, including taxpayers’ personal details.Nonetheless, President Trump has expressed his support for Musk, recently telling the press: “He’s a big cost-cutter. Sometimes we won’t agree with it, and we’ll not go where he wants to go.”But I think he’s doing a great job. He’s a smart guy. Very smart. And he’s very much into cutting the budget of our federal government.”
Musk has dubbed USAid a ‘criminal organization’
Can Donald Trump actually shut down USAID?
Trump may be able to significantly downsize USAID using executive orders, but he would likely need the support of Congress to completely shut it down.This is because Congress established USAID as an independent agency in 1998, after it was first created in 1961 by John F. Kennedy.Just Security explains: “Litigation and congressional oversight are certain to follow, but the question is how effective either will be in the immediate term at stopping the most damaging impacts on USAID’s programs and its employees.””The details of the E.O. will shape how specific challenges to the action unfold, but at a minimum, expect to see lawsuits brought by beneficiaries of USAID programs, impoundment act challenges, and more.”
