Elon Musk has revealed why his DOGE team targeted the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Musk during an interview with Fox Business said that the strategy was to “follow the money” and challenge what he saw as significant financial waste and corruption.
” We started looking carefully at USAID because they were entirely violating the President’s professional orders to halt international help”, Musk explained
The billionaire raised concerns over USAID’s financial dealings, particularly the lack of oversight in the billions of dollars funneled to non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ). According to Musk, this circumstance had created a gap that allowed scams to develop.
” What we saw there is just a tremendous amount of money being sent to NGOs, but really it’s a scam”, Musk said. ” This is one of the biggest sources of fraud in the world—government-funded NGOs”.
” This is a giant scam hole where the government can provide funds to an NGO and then there are no settings over that organization. But they’ve given billions of dollars, in reality, we estimate tens of billions of dollars to Organizations that are essentially ripoffs”, the Tesla CEO said.
Musk’s condemnation of USAID coincides with the Trump administration’s broader efforts to cut inefficient government spending. He comprehensive his view, talking about the accountability in DOGE’s activities. ” When we get censure, we say,’ Of what? Which range do you believe with?'” Musk explained. ” We put all of the steps of the DOGE staff on the DOGE control. It’s clear line by line”.
In the same discussion, Musk even discussed his team’s efforts to reform the Treasury Department. They successfully recommended that payments from the Treasury be coded with congressional appropriation details, a simple step Musk believes could save taxpayers up to$ 100 billion annually, Musk claimed. ” It’s simple things. Just doing that will save$ 100 billion a year”, he said.
Following the release of Musk’s tips, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that over 80 % of DOGE’s proposals for USAID’s transformation had been implemented. As part of this reform, Musk’s group, working alongside Rubio, played a vital role in eliminating more than 5, 000 of USAID’s 6, 200 plans, citing issues over their efficiency in serving US interests worldwide.
While some critics, including Democratic lawmakers, have challenged the legality of such cuts, arguing that they require Congressional approval, Musk and Rubio are pressing ahead with their agenda. USAID’s rapid shutdown has disrupted various international aid programs, sparking backlash from aid groups and former diplomats who warn that essential services, such as famine relief and disease control, have been put at risk.
