USAID staffers stunned, angered by Trump admin’s DOGE shutdown of $40B agency

Staffers and contractors who work with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were stunned and angered after President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – the government accountability unit headed by billionaire Elon Musk – effectively shut down the $40 billion agency on Monday.

One USAID staffer who wished to remain anonymous told Fox News Digital that 80% of staff across its bureaus learned they lost access to the agency’s systems on Monday morning, including travel, communications, classified information and databases – leading to questions about how to repatriate American citizens in some of the most dangerous places in the world should the need arise.

Staffers also feel they were “left high and dry” and “have no idea what to do or where to turn” after being “abandoned by Congress and the government,” the source said, adding they felt the agency was “hostilely taken over by DOGE.” 

“The richest man in the world is taking this away from the poorest people in the world,” the source said of Musk.

WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?

The flag of the U.S. Agency for International Development in front of its office in Washington, D.C., on Monday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

USAID was set up in the early 1960s to act on behalf of the U.S. to deliver aid across the globe, particularly in impoverished and underdeveloped regions. The Trump administration alleges that much of the spending has been wasteful, promoting a liberal agenda around the world. 

DOGE has particularly criticized a $1.5 million program slated to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities” and a $70,000 program for a “DEI musical” in Ireland.

Democrats counter that the agency plays a vital role in U.S. national security interests and say it should remain independent. They point to the work USAID did to counter Soviet influence during the Cold War – a sphere of influence that could remain a concern amid China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

“It’s not a generosity project,” the source said of USAID, “this is a national security agency and effort at its core” that “protects borders and cuts threats off,” such as working to contain Ebola and dispersing COVID vaccines to keep such threats outside the U.S.

Trump and Elon Musk attend the launch of a SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Musk has said that both he and Trump “agreed” that the agency should be “shut down.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been named acting director of the independent agency, on Monday echoed the sentiment, telling reporters, “USAID is not functioning.”

“It needs to be aligned with the national interest of the U.S. They’re not a global charity, these are taxpayer dollars. People are asking simple questions. What are they doing with the money?” Rubio continued. “We are spending taxpayers’ money. We owe the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our national interest.”

MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

The scope of work overseen by USAID is vast and ranges from administering foreign aid through humanitarian efforts like famine relief, clean water distribution programs, and medical services, including administering polio vaccines, HIV/AIDS relief and prevention work. It also bolsters democracy, human rights and governance initiatives.

The source said the stop work order has left medications for HIV and even vaccines meant for distribution in overseas regions sitting on shelves, saying, “It has all stopped.”

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Steve Schmida, who runs global consulting firm Resonance, which competes for contracts with USAID, told Fox News Digital that the shutdown is impacting contractors in the form of layoffs, furloughs and a reduction in hours. He also said the stop-work order has prevented his employees from getting paid for work they’ve already done.

Schmida said DOGE is “controlling payments” by taking over the payment system. He accused the Musk-led agency of “intentionally defrauding us.”

“If not stopped, it will spread to the rest of the government,” Schmida said, adding that the Trump administration’s DOGE could use its takeover of the payment system as “a weapon against American citizens, denying Social Security and Medicare if they step out of line.”

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Schmida said the foreign assistance community recognizes and shares the desire to reform the system, stating it “could work a lot better,” though he urged the government to work toward improvement rather than the destruction of an agency whose work has been built up over seven decades.

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Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.