Hurricane Musk and the USAID panic
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Hurricane Elon is blowing through Washington, creating panic and pushback wherever he and his government-efficiency minions appear. Mr.
Musk sometimes blows hot air, and he needs to be watched to stay within legal guardrails. But he’s also hitting targets that have long deserved scrutiny and reform, which helps explain the wailing over the U.S. Agency for International Development.
USAID—not a household acronym—provides money to various countries and non-governmental organizations. The agency sends money to around 130 countries, including Ukraine, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria, according to the Congressional Research Service. In 2023 the agency managed more than $40 billion and no fewer than 10,000 employees.
The ostensible goal is to make friends and influence countries in the American interest. No doubt spending $40 billion is bound to do some good somewhere. One oft-cited example is the Pepfar program that has funded anti-AIDS efforts in Africa in particular.
But USAID, like most foreign aid, has become something of a plaster saint in Washington even if it does far less good than advertised. Thus Mr. Musk brought down the wrath of the Beltway by targeting AID as part of his Department of Government Efficiency.
His method taken from the private sector is to move fast even if he breaks things—and fix them later. When USAID officials leaked their dismay to the press, Mr. Musk tweeted that the place is a “viper’s nest" and the solution is “to basically get rid of the whole thing." President Trump piled on with his typically restrained observation that “I love the concept but they turned out to be radical left lunatics." Cue the political panic.
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