Elon Musk targets closure of US humanitarian aid agency- USAID

The Trump administration announced that U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees would be locked out of their headquarters in downtown Washington, D. C. for a second day on Tuesday, as efforts to shut down the agency continued. This led to two Democratic senators pledging to obstruct the confirmations of State Department nominees in protest

Monday’s lockout added to the turmoil surrounding the agency, responsible for distributing billions in humanitarian aid globally, particularly after Trump froze most U. S. foreign aid just hours after his inauguration on January 20.

USAID has faced proposed closure by billionaire Elon Musk, who was assigned by the president to reduce the size of the federal government. A senior White House official, speaking anonymously, indicated that Trump was contemplating merging USAID with the State Department and had “entrusted Elon to oversee the efficiency of this agency. ”

A group of Democratic lawmakers, supported by numerous furloughed agency employees and contractors, demonstrated outside the locked USAID headquarters, which had been shut to employees on Monday as per an internal email.

Another internal message circulated late Monday instructed employees at both the headquarters and another Washington site to work remotely again on Tuesday, raising concerns among staff and lawmakers. “We don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk,” stated U. S. Representative Jamie Raskin outside the building. Senators Brian Schatz and Chris Van Hollen declared their intention to block confirmation of Trump’s State Department nominees, utilizing rules that permit them to impede nominations despite a Republican majority in the chamber.