The tech billionaire Elon Musk has proclaimed that he and President Donald Trump are currently undertaking the process of dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Musk, who leads Trump’s initiative aimed at enhancing government efficiency, revealed this decision on his social media platform, X.
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“We’re shutting it down,” he said. At another point, he said “We’re in the process” of “shutting down USAID.”
He further said the idea had “the full support of the president” and that he had spoken with Trump on the matter several times.
“With regard to the USAID stuff, I went over [it] with him in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down,” he said. “I actually checked with him a few times [and] said, ‘Are you sure?’” he said. He said that Trump responded, “Yes.”
Trump on Sunday said that Musk “is doing a good job,” and criticized USAID as “run by a bunch of radical lunatics,” though Trump did not go so far as to say he planned to shut down the agency, with or without congressional agreement.
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However, officials within the Trump administration have deliberated about transferring USAID’s oversight to the State Department.
This information comes from over a dozen current and former officials, as well as sources knowledgeable about the ongoing discussions.
NBC News has reported on this potential shift, which Democratic lawmakers and legal experts contend would contravene a law enacted by Congress that established the agency.
Although Trump has declared that he is halting nearly all U.S. foreign assistance, this freeze is set to last for a 90-day review period.
