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What is USAID and why do Trump and Musk want to end it?

The President does not have the legal authority to shut down USAID, as it was established as an independent agency by Congress, according to constitutional scholars.
Trump's administration has put nearly all of USAID's staff on leave and frozen billions in humanitarian assistance, prompting backlash from Democratic lawmakers.
Elon Musk stated he was working to 'shut down' USAID, but it remains unclear if this is the official position of Trump's administration.
Nicholas Kristof criticized the actions against USAID, stating it is a 'demolition—a blow to our values and interests alike,' emphasizing the impact on vulnerable populations.

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The Conversation

Trump’s push to shut down USAID shows how international development is also about strategic interests

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is on the verge of being shut down by United States President Donald Trump’s administration. On Feb. 4, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the agency would be taken over by the State Department. He stated that “all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally.” This move comes after Trump and his officials have heavily criticized the role and ineffect…

1 month ago

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Newser

Kristof: What's Unfolding at USAID Is 'Sickening'

The headline of Nicholas Kristof's New York Times column on what's happening to USAID crystallizes the issue in his view: "The World's Richest Men Take On the World's Poorest Children." Elon Musk has been gloating about gutting the US Agency for International Aid Development, which Kristof finds particularly "callous" given...

1 month ago·Miami, United States

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The Independent

USAID was dismantled so fast one fired employee was REHIRED to process time sheets

‘We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper,’ Elon Musk says

1 month ago·London, United Kingdom

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Newsweek

USAID programs at risk of being gutted by Elon Musk, and what they cost

Foreign aid programs at risk of being cut by Trump and Musk represent a tiny fraction of overall federal spending.

1 month ago·United States

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Washington Examiner

Questions about future of USAID complicate Trump's dealings with Iran

Debate about what lies ahead for the U.S. Agency for International Development could tie into President Donald Trump’s effort to make a new nuclear deal with Iran. Trump has signaled he wants to avert war with Iran over its push to acquire nuclear weapons and has mounted what he has described as a “campaign of pressure” to move the Middle Eastern country to the negotiating table. The Trump administration’s decision to ax most foreign aid, part…

1 month ago·Washington, United States

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