USAID staff asked to stay out of office as Elon Musk pushes to shut down agency

1. USAID staff asked to stay out of office as Elon Musk pushes to shut down agency

USAID staff asked to stay out of office as Elon Musk pushes to shut down agency ByHT News Desk Feb 03, 2025 10:36 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Earlier, Donald Trump has said, "It's (USAID) been run by a bunch of radical lunatics. And we're getting them out."

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) staffers were told to stay out of the agency's Washington headquarters on Monday, as per a notice distributed to them amid Elon Musk's announcement to shut down the agency.

Billionaire Elon Musk said that the damage in the USAID "is beyond repair".(Reuters)

Staff with the USAID also said they tracked down more than 600 employees who reported being locked out of their computer systems overnight, a report from The Associated Press said. Those who were still logged in, received emails that said, "at the direction of Agency leadership" the headquarters building "will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, Feb 3."

The personnel were asked to work remotely for the day, except for those who have "essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership", ABC News cited the email.

Two government employees had reportedly tried to access the office building on Monday but said they were turned away by the security guards. Later in the morning, uniformed officers of the Department of Homeland Security blocked the USAID headquarters' lobby with yellow tapes that had the words "do not cross" on it.

The notice to the staffers came after Elon Musk, billionaire and co-chair of the department of government efficiency (DOGE) announced early Monday that US President Donald Trump "agreed we should shut it (USAID) down".

“It became apparent that it's not an apple with a worm it in,” Musk said during a live session on X spaces, adding that, "What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.”

“We’re shutting it down,” Musk said.

According to ABC News, DOGE staffers have further added to the turmoil inside of the agency by moving to take over their offices and escalating the tensions as senior staff members got locked out of their internal systems.

Reportedly, a group of individuals identified themselves as DOGE representatives at the USAID offices in the Ronald Reagan building on Friday night, demanding access to all the offices. "It looked like people who dressed up for their first job interview," ABC News cited sources as saying.

After being denied group, the individuals told security guards that they would call the US Marshals Service, following which they ultimately gained access to the building.

Over the weekend, two top security chiefs at USAID were placed on leave by the Trump administration after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Musk's government-inspection teams, AP reported.

Meanwhile, Democrats have been arguing that Trump lacks constitutional authority to shut the agency down without congressional approval.

USAID chief of staff Matt Hospon also reportedly resigned just days after President Trump appointed him to the post, ABC News reported citing sources. However, it was not immediately clear whether his resignation was due to the changes taking place inside the agency.

It has been reported that Musk has been joining in on the USAID staff calls during the week. The Tesla CEO has also been launching attacks at the agency on X, describing them as a "criminal organization".

A senior USAID official reacted to Musk's post against the agency and told ABC News, "The warp-speed of this mafia-like takeover has shaken USAID staff to the core."

"We are not criminals. Where are Republican Senators like Senator Graham and Risch who have supported the good work of this agency in the past? Will they speak out?" the official asked.

He further added, "Yes, USAID needs reform, like all agencies, but we'd expect this to come with a degree of thought and involvement from Congress."

Meanwhile, the white USAID flag still flew on the empty plaza in front of the agency headquarters on Monday morning.

DOGE spokesperson Katie Miller took to X in the meantime and clarified that "no classified material was accessed without proper clearances".

Notably, President Donald Trump has also been slamming the USAID. On Sunday night, he told reporters, "It's (USAID) been run by a bunch of radical lunatics. And we're getting them out."

According to ABC News, sources have said that Trump ally Mark Kevin Llyod has been posted as the acting assistant administrator for the Bureau of Conflict Prevention and Stabilisation (CPS) at USAID, which oversees a considerable budget.

The Trump administration and Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed an unprecedented freeze of foreign assistance right after the President took charge of the office on January 20. The freeze has forced thousands of layoffs by aid organisations and halted several programmes across the world.

The foreign aid cuts under the US government are being reportedly overseen by Peter Marocco, a returning politician from Trump's first term in office.

Additionally, USAID staffers have said that they believe that agency outsiders with visitors' badges asking them questions inside the HQ are members of Musk's DOGE team.