Elon Musk, head of the newly created US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced that President Trump has “agreed” to shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID), according to reports from Axios and CNBC.
Musk announced during an audio-only appearance on X in the middle of the night, saying, “We’re shutting it down.” At another point, he added, “We’re in the process” of “shutting down USAID.”
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Speaking during a late-night discussion with former DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on X, Musk said he had reviewed USAID’s issues in detail with Trump.
He claimed that the move had “the full support of the president” and that he had discussed it with Trump several times. “With regard to the USAID stuff, I went over [it] with him in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down,” Musk said.
He added that he had asked Trump multiple times whether he was sure about the decision, and Trump repeatedly confirmed: “Yes.”
Ernst, who has previously led investigations into USAID, acknowledged that “there are probably some arguments to be made about what could be important work that falls under USAID.”
She suggested that if any “truly good pro-American programs” exist within USAID, they should be transferred to the State Department. Musk agreed, replying: “Exactly.”
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Ramaswamy, meanwhile, called for the agency’s “deletion,” while Ernst stressed the need for greater oversight and cited wasteful spending within USAID.
Musk defended the decision to shut down the agency, saying it was “a bowl of worms” with no apple, adding, “You’ve got to get rid of the whole thing” because it’s “beyond repair.”
He also accused USAID of being “incredibly politically partisan,” though he did not provide specific examples.
CNBC commented that Musk did not specify what legal authority the White House has to unilaterally shut down a federal agency without congressional approval, nor did he say how quickly the administration planned to act.
Musk’s comments on Monday came after reports that two senior USAID security officials were placed on administrative leave for denying DOGE representatives access to internal systems during a visit to the agency’s DC headquarters.
Following the DOGE representatives’ USAID visit, Senate Democrats sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding answers.
They expressed concerns that DOGE officials may have accessed American citizens’ data and classified spaces and warned that placing senior USAID personnel on administrative leave could compromise national security.
Katie Miller, a Trump appointee on DOGE’s advisory board, dismissed these concerns on X, saying, “No classified material was accessed without proper security clearances” during the visit.
Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment, and the White House also declined NBC’s request for a statement on Musk’s announcement.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump criticized USAID, calling it “run by radical lunatics.” He added, “We’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision” on its future.
Last week, USAID suspended all of its projects in Ukraine following a directive from the US State Department to freeze foreign aid for 90 days.
USAID supports humanitarian, educational, and cultural initiatives in 158 countries, along with infrastructure and technology projects. Last year, the U.S. budget allocated around $22 billion for these efforts.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, USAID has provided Ukraine with $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid and $5 billion in development assistance. Additionally, $30 billion in direct budget support has come through USAID.
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