On Tuesday evening, USAID staff around the world were informed they were being placed on administration leave and ordered to return to the U.S.—the latest development in the Trump administration’s war on the international aid agency. Earlier this week, Elon Musk said he and President Trump “agreed” the agency needed to be “shutdown,” saying it’s “beyond repair.” Employees were barred from entering the agency’s headquarters this week, the website went offline at one point, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was named acting director.
During a trip to El Salvador, Rubio said the agency “needs to be aligned with the national interest of the U.S.,” explaining USAID is “not a global charity, these are taxpayer dollars.”
“People are asking simple questions,” he added. “What are they doing with the money? We are spending taxpayers’ money. We owe the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our national interest."
But it goes beyond that. Rubio said the agency is routinely accused of undermining the State Department's work in the nations they operate.
“One of the most common complaints you will get if you go to embassies around the world from State Department officials and ambassadors and the like is USAID is not only not cooperative — they undermine the work that we’re doing in that country, they are supporting programs that upset the host government for whom we’re trying to work with on a broader scale, and so forth,” he noted.
The left, which argues the move is unconstitutional, is now plotting revenge.
According to a report in Axios, Senate Democrats are considering “delays on all Trump nominees as retaliation for his restructuring of USAID.”
Why it matters: This would go beyond the "blanket hold" that Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) has placed on State Department nominees. Democrats are furious at Trump's actions, and want to signal a strong response.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Axios on Tuesday that he's willing to place holds on Trump nominees on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- Blumenthal said the caucus is proceeding as if there is a blanket hold on Trump nominations.
As a reminder, here is what Democrats are defending:
Here are just a few outrageous examples of how USAID mismanages our precious taxpayer dollars.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 4, 2025
THIS is how Democrats want the government to spend your money.
It’s madness! House Republicans will work with the Trump Administration to eliminate wasteful spending and policies that… pic.twitter.com/UvfsS8ieK4
Jesse Watters: USAID Is A $40 Billion Deep State Social Justice Slush Fund
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) February 5, 2025
-$20M for Iraqi Sesame Street
-$2M for Moroccan pottery classes
-$11M to tell Vietnam stop burning trash
-$27M to give gift bags to illegals
-$330M to help Afghanis grow crops
-$300M on unused Afghani… pic.twitter.com/8v2TsoGneP
Stephen Miller just delivered the single most powerful EVISCERATION of USAID you will hear 🔥🔥
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 4, 2025
"There is probably no entity in the government that is more of an entrenched power center of unelected bureaucrats with less accountability, less oversight than USAID. They funnel… pic.twitter.com/B6V41XLFnb
Ignore the panic from the Deep State over @DOGE and Trump targeting USAID. I've been telling you for OVER A DECADE it’s a scam agency and CIA front behind regime changes all over the world, using YOUR tax dollars.
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) February 4, 2025
Here's the proof: pic.twitter.com/JT7rDLhBXk
