The future of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) seemed uncertain on Monday after Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a key figure in federal government reform, announced that President Donald Trump had approved its closure.
In Washington, USAID’s headquarters remained closed, and employees received an email instructing them to work from home. Additionally, logos and photographs of the agency’s humanitarian projects were removed from the building, while its website and social media accounts disappeared, replaced by a stripped-down version on the State Department’s website.
This agency, with a long history in international aid, has become a target of Trump and Musk’s efforts to reform the government. Both the former president and his allies have claimed that USAID, created by Congress as an independent agency, has a partisan bias in favor of Democrats.
For months, lawmakers and humanitarian workers have anticipated that Trump might permanently shut down the agency and integrate it into the State Department. That possibility gained traction Monday morning after Musk brought up the topic during a conversation on X, the social media platform he owns.
USAID is a criminal organization https://t.co/Xzl70dmow1
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025
At midnight, USAID employees received an email notifying them that they should not report to the Washington office. According to multiple sources, the message, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, stated:
“By order of the agency’s leadership, USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington will remain closed to agency personnel on Monday, February 3, 2025. Staff who normally work at USAID headquarters will operate remotely, except for those with essential functions and building maintenance roles, who will be contacted individually by senior management.”
Over the weekend, two senior USAID security officials were placed on administrative leave for preventing members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the agency’s systems. According to several sources consulted by CNN, DOGE personnel even threatened to call law enforcement.
The DOGE team sought access to USAID’s security systems and personnel files, according to three sources. Two of them also stated that DOGE personnel intended to access classified information, which is restricted to those with security clearance and a specific need to know.
Additionally, the Trump administration and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have imposed an unprecedented freeze on foreign aid, effectively shutting down much of USAID’s humanitarian, development, and security programs worldwide, leading to thousands of layoffs in aid organizations.
This situation comes just one day after DOGE carried out a similar operation at the Treasury Department, gaining access to confidential information, including Social Security and Medicare payment systems. The Washington Post reported that a senior Treasury official resigned following Musk’s team’s unauthorized access to sensitive data.
Musk created DOGE in collaboration with the Trump administration with the stated goal of reducing federal bureaucracy by eliminating regulations, programs, and government employees.
Crazy waste of money https://t.co/DC7UASJA41
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025
It is important to note that this organization provided and supported the delivery of humanitarian aid to various countries around the world, which is a severe blow to the international support that developing countries received from the United States. It also puts at risk the alliances between the recipient countries and the United States.
