UPDATE
Feb 3, 2025 12:30 AM CST
Elon Musk says it's time for USAID, the federal agency that oversees foreign aid to civilians, "to die." Musk's post on X came soon after reports that two of the agency's top security chiefs are on leave after allegedly refusing access to classified material to DOGE reps who lacked the proper security clearance. Musk later said, per Axios, that he's spoken with President Trump about USAID and that Trump "agreed" that "we should shut it down." Trump himself has not yet confirmed that take, but he said earlier Sunday that the agency is "run by radical lunatics."
Feb 2, 2025 12:45 PM CST
The Trump administration has placed two top security chiefs at the US Agency for International Development on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Elon Musk's government-inspection teams, US officials told the AP on Sunday. Members of the Department of Government Efficiency eventually did gain access Saturday to the agency's classified information, which includes intelligence reports, a former official said. Because the DOGE representatives lacked the security clearance required for such access, John Vorhees and deputy Brian McGill were legally obligated to refuse them.
The encounter took place at USAID headquarters in Washington, DC, with the Musk surrogates attempting to physically enter the building. The DOGE aides threatened to call US Marshals to be allowed inside, per CNN, to see security systems and information including personnel files. USAID distributes billions of dollars around the world to combat poverty and famine, treat diseases, and assist after natural disasters. The agency has more than 10,000 employees, according to the Congressional Research Service. (There was a similar standoff at the Treasury Department.)
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