The director of security and deputy director at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were placed on administrative leave after a dispute with employees from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) who tried to access secure USAID systems. The DOGE team tried to access personnel files, security systems, and security clearance information for agency employees which were beyond their security level. This led to a confrontation where the DOGE employees threatened to call the U.S. Marshals. Elon Musk, head of DOGE, called for USAID to be shut down, accusing it of being a criminal organization, and Trump supported this, criticizing USAID as being run by radical lunatics.
Musk announced on social media that USAID would be shut down, without specifying the legal authority for it. The move to shut down USAID has raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers and officials, who argue it would violate laws established by Congress. More than 1,000 USAID employees and contractors have already been fired or furloughed as a result of the Trump administration’s freeze on U.S. global assistance. The latest slashes to staff included putting the majority of the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs on leave and blocking communication staff from accessing internal systems.
The situation has caused uncertainty and fear among USAID employees, with concerns about surveillance by DOGE and Musk’s characterization of the agency as a criminal organization. The State Department, USAID, and Musk have not yet commented on the situation.
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