Elon Musk revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Musk, who leads the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), made this statement in an X Spaces stream on Sunday, citing Trump’s direct confirmation: “Yes we are shutting it down.”
USAID, the world’s premier international development agency, is responsible for billions of dollars in US aid projects globally, focusing on disaster relief, development, and global health. The agency’s foreign assistance accounts for less than 1% of the US government budget.
Musk had previously described USAID as “a criminal organisation. Time for it to die.”
On Saturday, USAID’s website went dark, aligning with the Trump administration’s campaign promise to freeze foreign assistance. Reports suggest that Trump plans to issue an executive order dismantling USAID and transferring its operations to the State Department.
Lawmakers argue that Trump cannot unilaterally close the agency, as it is a creation of Congress. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) emphasized that eliminating USAID would be illegal and constitute “another assault on the constitution.”
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) warned that dissolving USAID would make the world more dangerous for Americans and benefit China and Russia.
