The Illegal, Destructive Assault on USAID

Shutting down USAID is a malevolent and irresponsible thing to do.

The Trump administration is illegally attempting to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID):

Musk, heading a government efficiency effort under Trump, said on X early Monday that he is in the process of closing the agency with Trump’s blessing.

“I went over it with him in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down,” Musk said. “And I actually checked with him a few times [and] said ‘are you sure?’”

The answer was yes, he said.

“And so we’re shutting it down,” Musk said.

The president cannot eliminate a government agency on his own authority. USAID was established as an independent agency by an act of Congress, and it cannot be dissolved or merged into another department just because a megabillionaire and his gremlins decide to tear it down. Only an act of Congress can dissolve the agency, and that would be the wrong thing to do. Attempting to eliminate USAID is a huge abuse of power and a clear case of executive overreach. The public must demand that Congress oppose this power grab.