WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The Trump administration and Elon Musk are taking steps to shutdown USAID, an organization that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance for dozens of foreign countries.
Staff who work at the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development were told not to come in to work on Monday, prompting an outcry from Democratic lawmakers and local advocates.
President Trump and Elon Musk are threatening to shutter the agency, but Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) says he and other lawmakers are prepared to fight that move.
“We’re going to defend US AID all the way,” Raskin said.
Raskin was among a group protesting the shutdown on Monday. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) was also there, making the case that USAID provides vital assistance to foreign countries on behalf of the U.S. government.
“USAID leads the fight against hunger, poverty and disease, all over the world,” McGovern said.
The Trump administration has already frozen foreign assistance and gutted USAID’s workforce.
Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency fought to gain access to the agency’s internal documents, while vocally criticizing the work they do. In a post Musk said, ‘USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.’
Musk said on Monday that in a conversation he had with President Trump, the president agreed to shut the agency down.
“They’re a tremendous fraud,” Trump said. “They turned out to be radical left lunatics.”
President Trump made Secretary of State Marco Rubio Acting Administrator of USAID as the State Department says it’s looking to reorganize the agency.
“In many cases, USAID is involved in programs that run counter to what we’re trying to do in our national strategy with that country or with that region. That cannot continue,” Rubio said.
Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says it’s illegal for the Trump team to go after a congressionally funded independent agency.
“The people get to decide how their taxpayer money is spent. Elon Musk does not get to decide,” Murphy said.
