US President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered a shutdown of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), according to billionaire adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk said in a live session on Monday that he spoke with the president and secured his agreement to shut down the agency.
The move comes after two top security officials at USAID, John Voorhees and Brian McGill, were placed on leave for refusing to provide classified information to Musk’s government-inspection teams. However, Musk’s team was initially denied access due to lack of proper security clearances.
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been involved in a power struggle with USAID, which has been targeted by the Trump administration as part of an escalating crackdown on federal agencies and programs. The agency’s humanitarian, development, and security programs have been severely impacted, resulting in thousands of layoffs and furloughs.
The US is the world’s largest donor of humanitarian aid, with USAID administering billions of dollars in assistance in over 100 countries. Critics, including Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, are warning that Trump’s actions are allowing Musk to access personal information and shut down government funding.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/doge-musk-trump-classified-information-usaid-security-35101dee28a766e0d9705e0d47958611