Thousands of USAID employees have been dismissed and programs were closed worldwide in the two weeks that followed Donald Trump’s election at the head of the United States.
The employees of the American Agency for International Development (USAID) were ordered not to get out of his headquarters in Washington after billionaire Elon Musk announced that President Donald Trump agreed with him To close the agency.
More than 600 additional employees had reported that it was blocked outside the agency’s computer systems overnight. Those who were still in the system have received emails indicating that “on instruction from the agency management”, the headquarters’ building will be closed to the agency staff on Monday, February 3. “
The USAID website and its account on the X platform have also been closed.
The American president told journalists on Monday that the closure of the USAID “would have to be done a long time ago“, although he admitted to having”loved the concept “ during his first mandate.
Asked about the need for Congress to approve such a measure, the president replied that he did not think so.
“” There would be no law of congress. And I’m not sure that would be the case anyway. But we just want to do what it takes. This is something that should have been done a long time ago, but which went crazy during the Biden administration “.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk conducts civilian examination of the federal government with the Trump agreement, announcing in a live session of X Spaces which he had spoken at length with Donald Trump of the agency and “that he agreed for us to close it “.
“”It has become obvious that it is not an apple with a worm inside “Musk said in a live session on X space early on Monday. “What we have is a ball of worms. We have to get rid of the whole. It’s irreparable.”
During the weekend, the Trump administration put two senior security officials to USAID on leave after they refused to put classified documents in limited areas to the Musk government inspection teams, said a current American official and a former American official.
The Department of Government efficiency led by Elon Musk had already carried out an operation similar to the Treasury Department, obtaining access to sensitive information, in particular to the payment systems of Social Security and Medicare customers. The American media reported that a senior Treasury official had resigned because the American billionaire team had accessed sensitive information.
The closure of the USAID is part of a campaign to repress the Trump administration which affects the entire federal government and its programs.
The United States is the largest humanitarian aid provider in the world, and these measures have turned decades of American policy which placed humanitarian aid, development aid and security aid at the center of efforts aimed at Building alliances and countering opponents such as China and Russia.
Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the Congress Republicans made the American program to help abroad a particular target, accusing him of waste and promote liberal social programs.
The United States devotes less than 1 % of its budget to aid abroad, a part generally lower than that of certain other countries. The American president accused the Biden administration of Fraud, without providing evidence and only promising a later report.
Democrats promise to retaliate
The rapid evolution of the situation in the USAID has aroused strong controversy among the Democrats, who believe that it symbolizes the massive power that Musk exerts on Washington.
The legislators sought to enter the offices of USAID in Washington, declaring that they wanted to talk about the dismantling of the agency with the staff members still present.
Agents from the Ministry of Homeland Security and men presenting themselves as USAID employees blocked them. “”Elon Musk is not there “one of them told legislators.
Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland described this decision as “illegal takeover” and said it was “abuse of corrupt power”.
“”It is not only a gift to our opponents, but trying to close the agency for international development by decree is simply illegaL “, he added.
The Democrats said that courts were already underway and promised to try to block the approval of Donald Trump’s appointments to the State Department until the closure is canceled.
Democrats have been in the minority in the House of Representatives and the Senate since the elections of last November, which reduces their influence.
What is USAID?
John Fitzgerald Kennedy created USAID to the height of the Cold War who opposed the United States and the Soviet Union. He wanted a more effective way to counter Soviet influence abroad through foreign assistance and considered that the State Department was frustrated by its bureaucracy.
The Congress adopted the Act on Aid abroad and John Fitzgerald Kennedy launched USAID as an independent agency in 1961.
USAID survived the Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. Today, supporters of the USAID claim that American aid in the countries thwarts Russian and Chinese influence. China has its own help program abroad “the belt and the road“And operates in many countries that the United States also wants to have as partners.