Sat Feb 08 20:21:00 UTC 2025: ## Trump-Musk Overhaul of USAID Sparks Global Outcry

**Washington D.C., Feb 9, 2025** – President Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk have launched a controversial restructuring of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), sparking widespread international concern. The initiative, characterized by critics as a dismantling of the agency, involves a 90-day freeze on all foreign funding and a drastic reduction of its workforce from 10,000 to a mere 294 employees. A court has temporarily blocked the workforce reduction.

The moves, justified by the administration as aligning with a “America First” policy, have seen the USAID’s website shut down, its Washington office locked, and senior officials placed on leave. The Trump-Musk plan ultimately aims to either shut down the USAID entirely or absorb it into the State Department. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been appointed Acting Director of the USAID, following accusations of “insubordination”.

The administration has cited specific examples to justify its actions, including a $1.5 million grant to an LGBTQ group in Serbia and $2.5 million in assistance to a Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer. President Trump has also made unsubstantiated allegations of corruption, claiming the agency shipped $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza to be used as bombs – a claim debunked by a Guardian fact-check.

Despite these actions, the U.S. remains the world’s largest contributor to foreign aid, with the USAID accounting for a significant portion of the $68 billion spent in 2023. The agency operates in 130 countries, undertaking vital humanitarian work ranging from famine prevention and HIV/AIDS control (PEPFAR) to supporting Ukrainian farmers and providing aid in Afghanistan.

Experts warn that China may attempt to fill the void left by a weakened USAID, but that China’s focus on large-scale infrastructure projects wouldn’t replace the agency’s nuanced humanitarian efforts. The long-term impact of the Trump-Musk plan is expected to disproportionately affect vulnerable populations worldwide. The ultimate power to dissolve the USAID, established in 1961 and granted independent status in 1998, rests with Congress.

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