USAID fallout: Trump gives Musk authority to shut down agency

Elon Musk says he has been given the okay by President Donald Trump to have the authority to shut down USAID, which is meant to send humanitarian aid across the world.

What we know:

On Monday, protests roared outside the US Agency for International Development in light of the news. There, several Democratic lawmakers rallied for the office to be saved.

"When we talk about civil servants being let go, what we are talking about is not saving money. It’s essentially saying they can get paid while they’re home, and their work doesn’t get done on behalf of the American people. It is us taxpayers who are being ripped off," said Rep. Ilhan Omar at the rally.

Big picture view:

The department operates at $40 billion, sending humanitarian aid to other countries across the world. The price only makes up less than 1% of the federal budget.

By Monday afternoon, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his office would take over some of USAID’s foreign aid operations.

Musk said President Donald Trump gave his office—the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—the authority to close USAID as a way to cut government spending.

"Every dollar we spend, and every program we fund will be aligned with the national interest of the United States," Rubio said. "USAID has a history of sort of ignoring that and deciding they’re somehow a global charity separate from national interest. These are taxpayer dollars."

Local perspective:

Oakland University Professor and Chair of Political Science, Peter Trumbore, says by cutting off funding, U.S. adversaries like China and Russia could step in and build a better trade relationship with those countries.

"Honestly, it would be a huge self-inflicted wound on America’s ability to build goodwill and have influence around the world," he said. "There are many ways to have influence on the global stage. One of them is through providing the kind of necessary foreign assistance that countries need that they can’t provide for themselves."

The Source: FOX 2 talked with Oakland University Professor Peter Trumbore, and used information from previous stories. 

Washington, D.C.Elon MuskDonald J. TrumpPoliticsMichigan