What to know about USAID, the agency Elon Musk wants dead

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The USAID building was closed to employees on Monday. Elon Musk, the billionaire adviser to President Trump, is targeting the U.S.

Agency for International Development as part of his directive to slash federal spending. USAID is responsible for providing financial aid to countries around the world. Its funds help combat human trafficking, battle diseases, feed people in places ravaged by famine or support countries devastated by war, such as Ukraine.

Over the weekend, people working for Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency accessed USAID’s classified systems after a clash with security officials. Its offices were closed Monday to workers. Read more about USAID: The U.S.

Agency for International Development was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy as the U.S. government’s agency that carries out foreign-assistance programs across the globe.

Its creation was based on the Foreign Assistance Act passed by Congress that year. The agency operated at first under the authority of the Secretary of State but was made an independent agency in 1998 by Congress. The agency had a budget of roughly $44.2 billion in fiscal 2024, or 0.4% of the federal budget, according to USAspending.gov, which tracks government spending data.

In 2023, the agency had a $50.3 billion budget. More than 10,000 workers. About two-thirds of them serve overseas, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Elon Musk runs the Department of Government Efficiency, which is looking to find ways to reduce federal spending, scale back the federal workforce and shrink federal agencies. Musk called USAID corrupt without providing evidence. “USAID is a criminal organization," he wrote in one post on X.