Musk announces plans to dissolve USAID using his DOGE department

Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration, has announced plans to dissolve the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), citing misuse of taxpayer funds, Reuters reports.

In a discussion involving former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswami and Republican Senators Joni Ernst and Mike Lee, Musk stated that USAID is "beyond repair" and that the Trump administration supports its dissolution.

Earlier, Musk said that USAID had allegedly funded "bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people," at the expense of American taxpayers, and stated that his department is "getting them out."

At the same time, there were reports that the Trump administration had suspended two top USAID security officials after they refused to hand over classified materials in restricted areas to Elon Musk's inspection teams. The US president himself said that his administration was getting rid of the "radical lunatics" who allegedly ran USAID.

On January 21, 2025, Trump ordered a 90-day suspension of all U.S. foreign aid, including USAID programs. The Pentagon clarified that this suspension does not affect military aid to Ukraine.

On January 28, the U.S. suspended the key U4U program for Ukrainian refugees. However, on January 29, The New York Times reported that the White House plans to resume funding for some foreign aid programs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine will fund some critical programs affected by the U.S. funding freeze and will negotiate with European partners for additional support. The Ukrainian government also plans to discuss the resumption of USAID funding with the U.S. administration.