Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Monday that he was in the process of shutting the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), claiming on social media in the dead of night that he’d run the extraordinary move by President Donald Trump and had his full backing.
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The administration does not have congressional approval to close the agency that administers foreign assistance, and the effort received swift pushback from Democratic lawmakers. Musk leads Trump’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a volunteer capacity and does not work for the federal government. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk made the announcement during an hourlong audio-only event Monday shortly after midnight on his social media site X. He said he went over the plan with Trump “in detail” and the U.S. president “agreed that we should shut it down” before he shared it publicly.
The announcement was the latest attempt at a power grab by Musk and his aides at federal agencies. Trump, who took office two weeks ago, has tasked Musk, the world’s richest man, with recommending federal cost-cutting through the panel that reports to the White House.
On Monday, Musk called USAID “beyond repair” and “hopeless.” In a post on X, Musk added that he had “spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper. Could (have) gone to some great parties. Did that instead.”
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee said in a post Monday morning that neither Trump nor Musk had the authority to shut down USAID, an independent agency established by Congress.
“Not a single person in the Executive Branch – not Donald Trump, not Elon Musk, and not any of their cronies – has the authority to shut down USAID. Congress created the agency by statute,” Rep. Gerry Connelly, D-Va., said in an X post. “We ask a lot of our civil servants. Today, we ask of them another task — show up to work. Continue to serve.”
USAID was created as an independent agency in 1961 under an executive order signed by President John F. Kennedy.
The foreign aid agency, the world’s largest of its kind, has for decades provided assistance to countries whose residents are recovering from disaster or who are trying to escape poverty.
In fiscal year 2023, USAID disbursed $72 billion in assistance worldwide, Reuters reported. The funding went to everything from women’s health in conflict zones to access to clean water, HIV/AIDS treatments, energy security and anti-corruption work.
USAID had a staff of more than 10,000 people.
Musk’s latest comments about USAID come after Reuters reported the Trump administration removed two top security officials after they tried to stop representatives from Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from gaining access to restricted parts of the building. The officials also refused to hand over classified documents, Reuters reported.
In the past week, more than 100 senior USAID career staff had been put on leave as of the weekend. On Monday morning, the agency’s website appeared to be inactive.
Democratic lawmakers have protested the move, objecting to both a private citizen like Musk being given such broad powers and claiming that Trump lacks constitutional authority to shut down USAID without congressional approval.
“No one elected Elon Musk. As Donald Trump allows Musk to access people’s personal information and shut down government funding, Republicans in Washington will also own the consequences,” Sen Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, said on X. “We must do everything in our power to push back and protect people from harm.”
On Sunday, 10 Democratic senators warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a letter that any steps to dismantle USAID would need congressional approval.
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