‘Stop me if you can, Elon Musk’: Indian-origin CEO challenges billionaire amid USAID row

Not long ago, Musk said USAID was a “criminal organisation” and deserved to be shut down.

According to reports in Reuters, the Trump administration plans to keep fewer than 300 staff at the USAID. The administration’s goal is to combine USAID with the State Department, overseen by Marco Rubio, whom Trump appointed as acting administrator of the agency.

As per the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the agency employed over 10,000 individuals worldwide, two-thirds of them outside the US.

As of midnight on Friday, February 7, “All USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs,” the USAID website read.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people gathered in Washington DC as part of a countrywide demonstration against the Trump administration’s decision to dismantle USAID.

Earlier, the US administration revealed details of how the USAID funded “ridiculous” projects over the years. Taking to X, Trump wrote, “For decades, USAID bureaucrats believed they were accountable to no one – but that era is over. President Trump is STOPPING the waste, fraud, and abuse.” Musk also reacted to the documents, saying, “Crazy waste of your tax money!”

Before Musk called it a “criminal organisation”, Trump said the US agency was “run by radical lunatics”. The USAID has “been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out… and then we’ll make a decision (on its future),” Trump said.

The Trump administration has said that the agency is wasting money and has to be aligned with its policy priorities.

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