"Criminal organisation," Musk, Trump hints at shutting down USAID

Terming the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) a “criminal organisation,” US President Donald Trump and the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, hinted at shutting it down after the freezing its funds.

Musk’s statement came after days of speculation about the future of the US-based agency, amid reports that employees had been placed on leave.

On Sunday, Musk said, “USAID is a criminal organisation.”

“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 an X Spaces conversation early Monday.

He added that he had confirmed with Trump multiple times and verified the president’s intention to shut down the agency, which distributes billions in humanitarian aid and development programs annually.

Check: Key development projects halted as US suspends aid to Pakistan

Earlier, when was asked about the fate of USAID, Trump told the reporters, “It has been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we are getting them out, and then we’ll make a decision.” 

Musk;s statement followed reports that two top security officials at USAID were sent on administrative leaves on Saturday night over their refusal to grant DOGE access to agency's systems. 

Read: Trump names Elon Musk to head new government efficiency department

According to CNN, at least 60 senior USAID staff members were put on leave after allegedly defying Trump’s executive order to freeze foreign aid for 90 days.

Elon Musk called USAID “incredibly politically partisan” and said it has been supporting “radically left causes throughout the world, including things that are anti-American.”

Tesla owner shared on X “USAID is a ball of worms. There is no apple. And when there is no apple, you just need to get rid of the whole thing. That's why it's got to go. It's beyond repair."

Founded in 1961, USAID serves as the US government’s humanitarian arm. The agency dispenses billions of dollars annually across the work to alleviate the society from poverty, tread diseases, and to respond famine and disasters.