Billionaire Elon Musk has launched a fresh attack on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), calling it a “criminal organization” on Sunday. Former President Donald Trump backed Musk’s stance, claiming the agency was “run by radical lunatics” and hinting at its possible shutdown.
Musk, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, accused USAID of funding bioweapon research, including COVID-19, without providing any evidence. “Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people?” Musk asked his 215 million followers on X. His claims align with narratives previously linked to Russian disinformation campaigns.
Trump, doubling down on Musk’s accusations, declared, “USAID has been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out… and then we’ll make a decision (on its future).” His administration had already frozen aid spending for three months, issuing limited waivers for food and humanitarian aid.
USAID’s Future Hangs in the Balance
USAID, an independent agency with a $42.8 billion budget for global humanitarian efforts, is now under intense scrutiny. Reports suggest Trump may push to fold USAID into the State Department, effectively stripping it of its independent status. His team, however, has remained silent on the matter.
A senior official from a U.S.-based humanitarian organization expressed concerns that prioritizing “emergency” assistance could be the first step toward eliminating funding for long-term development projects. Aid workers fear that USAID’s role in global relief may be drastically reduced or even eliminated.
Meanwhile, USAID’s X account has been disabled, its website remains offline, and two senior security officials were reportedly placed on forced leave for blocking Musk’s team from accessing classified documents.
DOGE and Musk’s Expanding Influence
At the center of this controversy is Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary 18-month initiative under Trump’s executive office. Despite not being a government official or federal employee, Musk wields significant influence.
During a midnight discussion on X, Musk claimed Trump agreed to shut down USAID. He also asserted that DOGE was making “tremendous progress” in cutting federal spending. “If we can get that deficit in half, from two trillion to half, and we can get the economic growth to match… that means there will be no inflation,” Musk said, adding that he was focused on eliminating “fraud and waste.”
However, concerns about Musk’s unchecked power are growing. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy criticized the “total destruction” of USAID, while Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned, “The people elected Donald Trump to be President — not Elon Musk. Having an unelected billionaire, with his own foreign debts and motives, raiding US classified information is a grave threat to national security.”
While Trump and Musk continue their campaign against USAID, the agency’s fate remains uncertain. The battle over its future is not just about government spending, it’s about power, influence, and the role of billionaires in shaping U.S. policy.
