Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is affected by the Technology Better Elon Musk, the cost reduction operation in a shocking operation that was launched over the weekend.
After President Trump’s executive order Freezing the outside attendanceThe USAID website has been offline, hundreds of contractors have been fired and employees are blocked from their accounts one by one without prior notice. Musc he said Shortly after midnight on Monday, Trump “agreed” to close USAID, which has been administered thousands of dollars of humanitarian and development assistance worldwide for more than 60 years.
“We are terrified,” said an employee of the USAID, who was anonymous for fear of remuneration. The employee said they woke up without access to internal systems, including their email, with “zero communication”.
Personal service contractors, who are missing the legal protections From government employees and compensate half the agency’s labor, they began to close -according to two USAID employees. They also said that some direct hires were affected.
One described seeing that Google’s Chat pictures of his colleagues crossed one on a Sunday evening, which indicates that his account was disabled.
Shortly after midnight, USAID employees received an email reviewed by the hill, which said that their headquarters in the Ronald Reagan building would close on Monday and commission them to work remotely.
Another USAID employee said his colleagues were blocked to enter a second USAID OFFCE in southwest DC, by men who were identified as part of the so-called “Government Department Efficiency” (DOGE). Later they turned away, the employee added.
Musk, directed by Doge, went to a Tirade on Sunday against the agency.
“Usaid is a ball of worms. There is no apple. And when there is no Apple, just get rid of everything. That is why he has to leave. Is out of repair, “said Musk shortly after midnight Monday X space.
Later published“We spent the weekend feeding usaid on the wooden chip. I could go to some major parties. I did it instead. “”
This occurs after two maximum safety officials in USAID set off on Saturday night after denying DOGE employees access to internal systems.
Steven Cheung, the Communications director of the White House, said on Sunday that the reports that DOGE employees tried to access safe spaces were “false news” and “not even remotely” Publishes Ax.
“This is how the insert and unreliable media are like,” Cheung wrote.
The spokesmen for the White House and Usaid did not immediately respond to the Requests for Comments on the Hill.
Usaid “Guinea Pig” for cost reduction ambitions
The Trump administration has declared its goals to reduce federal spending, and Musk pledged the federal budget by $ 2 trillion.
Usaid seems to be the first place in the bite, despite being less than 1 percent of the federal budget. An employee Usaid described the agency as a “cobai” for the largest DOGE ambitions.
Founded in 1961, USAID had a budget of $ 40 million by 2023, less than about $ 70.9 billion than Lockheed Martin, the largest government contractor, received from that year on, according to that year. Federal contracting data. The agency employs more than 10,000 people, two thirds of which were abroad, according to a Recent report by the Congressional Research Service.
The USAID provides humanitarian and developmental assistance abroad, mainly funding thousands of non -governmental organizations, contractors, universities and foreign governments. One of the employees describes their work as “the easiest soft power you can use.”
But several USAID employees said that they have not been allowed to speak with partners, such as UNICEF, the World Food program and others since Trump issued the stop order.
“I had to ghost my partners because I was too afraid to say anything,” said a USAID employee.
Another said, “I have gone through the stages of the penalty probably ten times,” even before this weekend.
The Sent Stop Working Order shock and confusion waves Dressing through the help community.
“It is really creepy. It is really demoralizing. It is really depressing for those who are not only unpleasant, but also have no connection, you know, who they work with and with,” said a help worker.
Many partners go to the line of their programs with USAID to determine who and what can affect. Usaid employees described the interruptions in programs for relief of child malnutrition, providing disaster relief to people displaced internally and strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene efforts.
“The reduced payment system means that the development organization and the partners implementing now is not paid for the work they have already done, let’s say -in December. And therefore the smallest organizations are in a Great link.
As a result of the freezing of Trump’s foreign assistance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced resignations from the efforts to save life, including emerging food help and medicine and medical services.
Atmosphere On Friday informed That the Trump administration can move to Strip Usaid of its independence and fold it in the State Department, which would be a massive and legally dubious shake of Washington’s foreign aid efforts.
A “constitutional crisis”
Rece. Brian Mast (R-FLA Expressed support To avoid usaid of its independence during an interview with the nation’s face.
He said that “it would be absolutely for, if this is the way we go down, eliminating USAID as a separate department and had it under one of the other parts of the United States Department due to its failure.”
The Democrats of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee prompted the President’s ability to make it unilaterally.
“(A) ny sforç to merge or fold usaid in the State Department should be, and by law it must be, previewed, discussed and approved by Congress,” the legislators wrote in a Letter to Rubio Sunday. “Congress has also made it clear that any attempt to reorganize or redesign USAID requires an early consultation and a notification to Congress.”
Senator Andy Kim (DN.J.), who previously worked in USAID, brought X to dismantle the agency against the United States National Security interests.
“His vindictive way to try to close Usaid sends signs to the whole world that we are a nation at war with himself. And others try to wear them by his side,” Kim wrote.
Even some scholars who are on the right have expressed concern about the actions of the administration. Brian Riedl, a senior companion from the Manhattan Institute, said that what happens in USAID is “an absolutely a constitutional crisis”.
“The President has zero legal authority to” close “, disadvantaged, or that in another way Publishes Ax. “Audit –Los, identify unnecessary expenses, delete the proposals for reform or termination, and then go to Congress to pass a law.”
