Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have launched a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), branding it a corrupt “ball of worms” and initiating its shutdown.
The move, executed through Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has frozen the agency’s $38 billion budget, locked hundreds of employees out of systems, and triggered accusations of systemic dysfunction.
Elon Musk, who is leading DOGE, did not mince words when describing the reasoning behind the shutdown.
During a live discussion on X (formerly Twitter) Spaces early Monday morning, Musk characterized USAID as beyond repair:
“What we have here is not an apple with a worm in it, but actually just a ball of worms. There is no apple. And when there is no apple, you’ve just got to basically get rid of the whole thing.”
He also noted that President Trump gave him the go-ahead to close the agency. USAID, which oversaw the disbursement of $38 billion in 2023, had already been placed on the chopping block after the White House froze its funds via an executive order.
President Trump, returning from a weekend in Palm Beach, did not hesitate to endorse the move:
“It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics. And we’re getting them out.”
Both Trump and Musk argue that USAID has become a hub of wasteful spending, a stance that resonates with many supporters who believe the agency’s large budget and broad mission opened the door to unchecked bureaucratic growth.
On Saturday, USAID’s social media accounts went dark, and its website was pulled offline—prompting speculation about whether this was a technical glitch or part of a directed move by the administration.
By Monday morning, the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., was closed to most staff, with an email to employees instructing them to work remotely “until further notice.”
More than 600 employees reported being locked out of the agency’s computer systems overnight. A handful of personnel with “essential on-site and building maintenance functions” were told to remain on the job.
The remaining workforce was ordered to direct all questions to a single email address now linked to DOGE adviser Gavin Kliger, suggesting that DOGE is effectively taking charge of agency operations.
Tensions flared when two senior security officials, John Vorhees and Brian McGill, refused DOGE’s request for access to highly classified documents, arguing that the DOGE officials did not possess the proper clearances.
Both Vorhees and McGill were promptly placed on leave. Later, Musk’s team was granted access to the secure facility, with a DOGE spokesperson stressing that “no classified material was accessed without proper security clearances.”
USAID is the largest provider of food assistance in the world, with a dedicated $22.6 billion earmarked for that purpose.
Critics of the agency say it has long been mired in scandal and inefficiency, while supporters argue its programs are essential for promoting U.S. influence and stability abroad.
For now, the Trump administration maintains that closing the agency, rather than reforming it, is the most cost-effective and expedient way to curb what it views as government bloat.
With Musk and Trump determined to root out what they describe as “deep state” elements in government, USAID’s fate may be sealed.
Supporters of the move see it as a long-overdue victory against entrenched bureaucracy, while opponents warn of the potential humanitarian and diplomatic fallout from shutting down an agency that has delivered aid to over 100 countries.