WASHINGTON, DC, Feb 3: American tech billionaire Elon Musk has called United States Agency for International Development (USAID) a “criminal organization” and said that it is “time for it to die.”
In a post on X, Musk wrote, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.”
He made the statement in response to a post which mentioned that USAID senior officials were put on leave after they physically tried to stop Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials from accessing agency systems.
Musk’s statement comes amid mounting reports that US President Donald Trump wants to abolish USAID, an independent federal agency, and fold it into the US State Department, CNN reported. Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy at the White House, Stephen Miller, has accused USAID’s workforce of being overwhelmingly Democrats.
Two top senior officials at the USAID were put on administrative leave on Saturday night after trying to refuse officials from DOGA to access systems at the agency, even after DOGE officials threatened to call law enforcement, CNN reported.
Sources said personnel from DOGA tried to physically access the USAID headquarters in Washington, DC. However, they were stopped from accessing the system. (ANI)