Elon Musk, in his vague but now clearly powerful role as head of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, spent the weekend gaining access to government computer systems, cutting off access to federal workers, and shutting down USAID, the federal agency that distributes aid to foreign countries. President Trump "agrees" with this, Musk announced, and CNN reports that he has "signed off" on it.
"With regards to the USAID stuff, I went over it with (the president) in detail and he agreed that we should shut it down," Musk said in a X Spaces conversation early Monday. … USAID workers were emailed shortly after midnight that they should not come into their Washington office, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
"At the direction of Agency leadership, the USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C. will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, February 3, 2025. Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remotely tomorrow, with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership," said the email, of which CNN has obtained a copy.
Even if you agree with getting rid of any given pork-stuffed federal agency, consider two things: first, USAID functioned as one of the subtler arms of American power and may have gotten results cheaper than the less subtle ones, and second, the method of getting rid of it involves Elon Musk's "people" gaining direct access to the nation's finances and related computer systems.