Elon Musk, Donald Trump’s unelected co-president, introduced on Monday that america Company for Worldwide Growth shall be shut down, jeopardizing billions in overseas help.
USAID is funded through Congress, which nearly definitely makes it unlawful for Musk—an unelected billionaire who runs a federal advisory fee that seems to be operating afoul of federal regulation—to unilaterally shut it down.
Nonetheless, Musk mentioned on X House—an audio platform on his X social media website—that he satisfied Trump to close the company down, and that Trump agreed.
“I went over it with the president in detail and he agreed that we should shut [it down]. I checked with him multiple times,” Musk mentioned early on Monday morning.
Trump has but to publicly say the company is shut down, however he advised reporters on Sunday that USAID is run by “radical lunatics.”
“We’re getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision,” he mentioned.
Within the meantime, the USAID web site is offline as of Monday morning. Dozens of individuals on the company have been placed on depart after they reportedly refused to observe a seemingly unlawful funding freeze of all overseas help, which Trump had put in place.
And on Sunday night time, certainly one of Musk’s barely-out-of-college tech bros despatched an electronic mail to all the USAID company, saying the workplace was closed and that nobody ought to report back to work until advised in any other case.
“At the direction of Agency leadership, the USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C.[,] will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, February 3, 2025,” reads an electronic mail despatched from Gavin Kliger, one of many small group of males reportedly between the ages of 19 and 24 who work for Musk’s so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity, a federal advisory fee.
Even a former Trump administration official advised CBS Information that the order to close the company down is past the pale.
“[W]hy would anyone comply with this? The press office has no authority to order this and it’s not signed by any agency leader,” the unnamed former Trump official advised CBS’ Jennifer Jacobs.
Neither Trump nor Musk seem to have the authorized authority to shutter USAID. Former President John F. Kennedy created the company by government order in 1961, following the passage of the Overseas Help Act of 1961, which reorganized the U.S.’s overseas help. Any main change to the company is assumed to require congressional approval.
What’s extra, the company has been funded by Congress, and unilaterally impounding the congressionally authorised funding additionally would seemingly run afoul of the Impoundment Management Act of 1974. Already, two federal judges halted Trump’s try to freeze all congressionally appropriated funds.
“The Executive’s action unilaterally suspends the payment of federal funds to the States and others simply by choosing to do so, no matter the authorizing or appropriating statute, the regulatory regime, or the terms of the grant itself. The Executive cites no legal authority allowing it to do so; indeed, no federal law would authorize the Executive’s unilateral action here,” U.S. District Court docket Choose John J. McConnell Jr. wrote in a resolution blocking Trump’s tried funding freeze.
It appears Trump’s try to shutter a whole federal company would fall underneath the identical premise.
In the end, closing USAID could be devastating for thousands and thousands of individuals worldwide—in addition to People residing in america since USAID helps comprise the unfold of lethal viruses and ailments that would affect People if they aren’t saved at bay.
Atul Gawande, who was the assistant administrator of worldwide well being at USAID underneath former President Joe Biden, mentioned ending USAID could be a catastrophe.
“This Administration is trashing US standing, alliances with scores of countries built over half a century, world-leading capacity and expertise, and American security,” Gawande wrote in a publish on X. “Make no mistake—these essential, lifesaving activities are being halted right now. Consequences aren’t in some distant future. They are immediate.”
Gawande additionally laid out simply a number of the packages that may expire by ending the company:
I ran @USAID well being packages for the final 3 years. Trump’s 90 day Cease Work Order on overseas help does severe injury to the world and the US. Examples:
1. Stops work battling a lethal Marburg outbreak in Tanzania and a large outbreak of a mpox variant killing kids in west Africa earlier than it spreads additional.
2. Stops monitoring of chicken flu in 49 international locations, a illness which already killed an American on house soil.
3. Stops vital work to eradicate polio.
4. Stops >$1B in company drug donations and coordination eradicating tropical ailments like river blindness, elephantiasis, and others on the verge of elimination in complete areas.
5. Stops medicines, provides, programs constructing, workers assist aiding >90 million ladies and youngsters to get low value vaccinations, prenatal care, secure childbirth, contraception, and different fundamental lifesaving well being wants.
6. Stops direct providers for six.5 million orphans, weak kids, and their caregivers affected by HIV in 23 international locations.
7. Stops donated drug provides holding 20 million individuals residing with HIV alive.
8. Would furlough all USAID contract workers — which incorporates half of its world well being bureau—until exempted.
Democrats are sounding the alarm about Trump’s actions.
“It’s hard to overhype how dangerous this moment is. This [is] a naked attempt to seize government by the right wing billionaire class so they can steal from the American people,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut wrote in a publish on X.
