Billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal government, gave an update on Monday, revealing that they are working to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Musk, also the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, discussed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during a social media talk on X, which he owns. Trump has appointed Musk to lead a federal cost-cutting panel.
The conversation, which included former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Republican Senators Joni Ernst and Mike Lee, began with Musk saying they were working to shut down USAID.
“It’s beyond repair,” Musk said, adding that President Trump agrees it should be shut down.
Reuters reported on Sunday that the Trump administration removed two top security officials at USAID over the weekend after they tried to stop Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) representatives from accessing restricted areas of the building.
USAID is the world’s largest single donor. In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. disbursed $72 billion in assistance worldwide, including efforts in women’s health, conflict zones, clean water access, HIV/AIDS treatments, energy security, and anti-corruption work.
USAID’s website appeared to still be offline on Saturday, with some users unable to access it on Sunday. USAID has more than 10,000 staff members.
Trump has ordered a global freeze on most U.S. foreign aid as part of his “America First” policy, causing significant ripple effects worldwide.
Musk further estimated that the Trump administration could reduce the U.S. deficit by $1 trillion next year.
He also claimed that “professional foreign fraud rings” are stealing vast sums of money by creating fake digital U.S. citizens.
Musk did not provide any evidence to support his fraud claim or explain how the $1 trillion figure was calculated.
The online chat occurred amid concerns about Musk’s access to the Treasury system, which handles over $6 trillion in payments annually for federal agencies.
Democrat Peter Welch, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, called for explanations as to why Musk was granted access to the payment system, which contains sensitive taxpayer data.
Trump has expressed his support for Musk. When asked if Musk was doing a good job on Sunday, Trump agreed, calling him a “big cost-cutter.”
