USAID Staffers Locked Out of Accounts, as Musk Says Trump ‘Agreed’ to Shut Agency
The agency’s headquarters were also closed as concerns mounted over what the move could mean for overseas staff and projects.
Late Sunday night, hundreds of contractors with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) discovered they could no longer access their accounts, according to four sources with knowledge of the issue. Hours later, Elon Musk boasted on a livestream that Donald Trump had “agreed” with his plan to shutter the agency – a move the president doesn’t have authority to unilaterally do.
The move is the latest in a string of actions by Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to hijack and whittle down government agencies.
The unelected billionaire’s efforts with respect to USAID amped up on Friday, when a group of self-identified State Department and DOGE staffers descended upon the agency’s headquarters, demanding access to offices and areas where classified information is stored and discussed. Some senior USAID senior staff were placed on leave after refusing to give DOGE access. The DOGE personnel were eventually able to access the headquarters.
By late Sunday, contractors had been locked out of their accounts, and staff received an email early Monday morning that headquarters would be closed. According to sources, the message was sent out first by DOGE staffer Gavin Kliger (who is reportedly under the age of 25), before being sent through more official channels later in the morning.
Those locked out are known as Personal Services Contractors (PSCs), the sources said. Such workers contract directly with USAID on an employee-employer basis. That is contrary to the hundreds of workers who were furloughed last week, who are known as Institutional Support Contractors (ISCs) – staff contracted with USAID via another corporate entity or organization.
The combination of the furloughed ISCs and locked-out PSCs would mean most of the staff left on USAID teams are direct hires, largely consisting of leadership roles: directors, division chiefs, and team leads. Which is to say, USAID’s teams have been mostly picked apart, shells of their past selves functionally unable to do much of the work they are tasked with. This is especially true for the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance – the agency’s key office for coordinating disaster assistance and humanitarian aid worldwide.
Impacts Already Felt
Meanwhile, it’s unclear to what extent a unilateral slashing of USAID may leave currently deployed staffers in other nations stranded. They are left with little guidance and uncertain conditions and could be at heightened safety risks given the lack of clear protections. As Jeremy Konyndyk, president of the humanitarian organization Refugees International, noted on social media: “Many of these staff are *actively deployed* on overseas responses right now. Are they still govt contractors? Are they still under the Embassy security umbrella?” He added: “USAID contractors working on relief responses face genuine security threats. They deploy to dicey areas and there have been attacks over the years. Are these staff now stranded by their government?”
The impacts are already being felt. “The broad halt in foreign assistance, coupled with limitations to and a lack of clarity around humanitarian waivers, has already resulted in the loss of lifesaving medical humanitarian aid and harmful impacts on patient communities,” Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement. “In the last week, MSF’s medical teams have witnessed confusion as clinics and other critical services previously supported by USAID were shut down without warning,” noting that while Doctors Without Borders doesn’t accept US funding itself, the US withdrawal risks millions of lives.
The White House, USAID, and DOGE did not immediately respond to Zeteo’s requests for comment.
President Musk?
Musk announced Trump’s apparent plans for USAID on a livestream on Musk-owned X. “With regard to the USAID stuff, I went over it with him in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down. I want to be clear – I actually checked with him a few times, you know, ‘Are you sure?’
“Like, ‘Yes,’” Musk intimated Trump.
“So we are shutting it down,” Musk finished.
USAID’s website and X accounts have been taken down and have remained so for days. Meanwhile, Trump’s National Transportation Safety Board announced on X that it will only share information to the public via X. The developments – alongside Musk’s comments about his involvement in trying to shut down USAID – underscore the wealthiest man on Earth’s participation, if not outright takeover of the US presidency.
Still, USAID is a congressionally mandated agency, meaning Musk and Trump cannot simply shut it down at will.
As rumors first mounted that the Trump administration planned to shut USAID, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said in a post on social media: “Hearing that Trump is about to double down on the constitutional crisis. A President cannot eliminate an appropriated federal agency by executive order. That’s what a despot - who wants to steal the taxpayers money to enrich his billionaire cabal - does.”
Musk and Trump appear to be relying on flooding the zone, whittling things down, and shutting people out.
At another point during the livestream, Musk joked that “there will be less debt needed as we stop wasting taxpayer money on crazy things, like, you know, like, whatever, the $50 million for condoms to Gaza,” echoing an outright lie told by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt last week. Co-panelists Vivek Ramaswamy, who left DOGE last month, and Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa giggled.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates, and subscribe to Zeteo for more about Trump 2.0.
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I'd suggest he take his diversity of children and mother then return to South Africa.
Unbelievable! Musk and Trump dismantling USAID without Congress's approval is a constitutional crisis. This reckless move undermines decades of humanitarian efforts. We need accountability and transparency!