WASHINGTON, Feb 3: Billionaire Elon Musk, who is heading U.S. President Donald Trump’s drive to shrink the federal government, gave an update on the effort early Monday, saying work is underway to shut down the U.S. foreign aid agency USAID.
Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, discussed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a social media talk on Monday on X, which he also owns. Trump has assigned 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 the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“It’s beyond repair,” Musk said, adding that President Trump agrees it should be shut down.
Meanwhile, most USAID staffers were told not to report to the agency’s headquarters in Washington on Monday and to work remotely, according to a copy of an email to personnel reviewed by Reuters. “Further guidance will be forthcoming,” the note said.
USAID is the world’s largest single donor, disbursed $72 billion in fiscal year 2023. Aid covers women’s health, clean water, HIV/AIDS, energy, anti-corruption.
Musk says Trump administration can cut $1 trillion from the US deficit next year.–Reuters
