Elon Musk said President Donald Trump agreed the US Agency for International Development needs to be “shut down,” following days of speculation over the future of the agency after its funding was frozen and dozens of its workers were put on leave.
Musk said in a conversation on X early Monday that he talked in detail with the president about the USAID issue, and they both agreed it should be shut down.
Musk mentioned that he talked to Trump a few times, and Trump said he wants to close the agency that gives out billions in humanitarian help and development funding each year. Parhlo World has contacted the White House and USAID for their response.
On Sunday evening, before the X Spaces discussion, Trump spoke to reporters about USAID. He said, “It’s been managed by some extreme people, and we’re removing them. After that, we’ll decide what to do next.”
Musk’s remarks followed the decision to place two senior security officials at USAID on leave on Saturday night. They were put on leave because they wouldn’t let members of the Department of Government Efficiency enter the agency’s systems, even after DOGE staff threatened to involve the police, according to several sources who spoke to Parhlo World.
Last week, about 60 top USAID employees were put on leave for allegedly trying to get around Trump’s order to pause foreign aid for 90 days. Another top official was put on leave for attempting to undo that action after seeing no proof of any misconduct.
During a discussion on X Spaces early Monday, which he co-hosted with Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa and Vivek Ramaswamy (who was once named co-chair of DOGE with Musk but has since stepped down), the owner of X criticised USAID. He described it as very politically biassed and claimed it supports extreme left causes globally, including actions that go against American interests.
Musk criticised USAID, saying it is “beyond repair,” along with other negative comments about the agency that Congress created to work independently.
“We don’t have any apples with worms in them,” he said. “We have a ball of worms.”
“USAID is very complicated.”
USAID was created in 1961 during President John F. Kennedy’s time in office. It is the part of the US government that focusses on helping people in need around the world. It gives billions of dollars each year worldwide to help reduce poverty, treat illnesses, and deal with hunger and natural disasters. It also supports democracy building and development by supporting non-government organisations, independent media and social initiatives.
USAID is an important way for the US to build relationships with people in other countries. Officials explain that US national security relies on three main areas: defence, diplomacy, and development, which are managed by the Defence Department, State Department, and USAID, respectively.
Sources Say That DOGE Staff Accessed USAID Information
Reports say that staff from Musk’s office first attempted to enter the USAID centre in Washington, DC, but were blocked. The DOGE staff insisted on being let inside and threatened to call US Marshals if they weren’t given access, according to two sources.
The DOGE staff wanted to access USAID’s protection systems and employee files, according to three sources. Two of those sources said that the DOGE staff wanted access to secret information, which is only available to people with security clearances and a need to know.
Three sources told Parhlo World that the DOGE team was finally able to get into their offices.
The event, which was not reported before, is the latest clash as the Trump-backed DOGE aims to gain more control over the federal government while trying to reduce spending.
On Sunday, Democratic members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking for an urgent update about who accessed USAID’s headquarters. They wanted to know if those people were allowed to be there and who gave them permission.
The letter stated that there are serious worries about the safety of sensitive or classified files. These files may contain personal information about Americans working with USAID, and the incident raises big concerns about U.S. national security.
The Senators stated that any plan to combine USAID with the Department of State needs to be reviewed, talked about, and passed by Congress, as required by law.
Katie Miller, who was appointed to DOGE by Trump in December, confirmed on Sunday that DOGE staff had received classified information.
“She posted on X that no classified material was accessed without the right security clearances.”
On Sunday, after Parhlo World reported on the event, Musk stated that “USAID is a criminal organisation.”
Some top officials from the Trump administration, including Stephen Miller, who is the deputy chief of staff for strategy at the White House, have criticised USAID. They claim that most of its employees are Democrats.
On Saturday, USAID’s website stopped working, and a new page for the agency was added to the State Department’s website. USAID’s X account stopped working on Saturday.
A source informed Parhlo World that all employees in the USAID public affairs office were put on leave and denied access to their systems.
After taking office last month, Trump signed an executive order that stopped all foreign help for 90 days. This caused a lot of confusion, job losses, and the shutdown of various programs.
USAID Director of Security John Voorhees and his deputy are among dozens of USAID officials who have been put on leave amid fears that the agency is being intentionally dismantled — a move that some aid officials say would have massive negative implications.
Aid officials say the State Department isn’t ready to handle and maintain the many development projects run by USAID. They say it would also remove unique and important influence that can’t be replaced.
The State Department does not have the ability, knowledge, or training to do that kind of job. “It’s a completely different effort being carried out on the ground,” said a former senior USAID official.
“The one element of the US government bureaucracy on the ground in foreign places that has been able to get out beyond the wire and actually have a deeper understanding of the places in which we work is USAID,” the former official continued, requesting anonymity due to growing and widespread fears of being targeted by the Trump administration.
“The ability to work like that, which I believe is a culture, gets overlooked.” This means we lose a very important tool for US foreign policy. We’re basically going to be fighting with one arm behind our back,” the person said.
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