Tech billionaire Elon Musk says he and President Trump are shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
“USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die,” Musk posted on X, which he owns.
Musk is doing this with Trump’s blessing: “And I actually checked with [Trump] a few times. I said, ‘Are you sure?’ He’s like, ‘Yes,’” Musk said in an X Spaces discussion. “So we’re shutting it down.”
What does USAID do?: It provides humanitarian aid to developing countries and areas impacted during conflicts. It was formed in 1961 and has a $50 billion budget.
What happened over the weekend?: Senior officials at USAID physically tried to block Musk’s team from having access to its internal systems, some of which are classified, according to NBC News. The employees of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were eventually able to access the secure system. The senior USAID officials who tried physically blocking access were then put on leave.
And then overnight: All USAID employees were ordered to stay home Monday. 🔎 See the email sent to USAID employees
Keep in mind: USAID.gov went dark Saturday, but a webpage for the agency exists on state.gov. Last week, it was revealed that Trump is considering merging the organization with the State Department.
FWIW: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been appointed interim administrator of USAID.
💡 Why this matters: Trump has sought to temporarily freeze nearly all federal funding since he returned to the White House, though a judge blocked it. Trump has also given Musk a lot of power to weed out what they see as wasteful spending.